Ooo's Evil
by theworstwriteronfanfiction
Summary: Finn's mind is at it's breaking point. Ambitions of revenge has turned the greatest hero into the greatest threat. His fate falls to Phoebe, Bonnibel and Marceline; feared and hated by everyone, is he lost to evil forever?
1. Twisted

"Oh, uhm, just take those bandages there." Bubblegum vaguely waved her hand in the general area of where the clean cloths sat.

Wincing as he popped his shoulder back in, Finn trudged over and sat down. The coldness of the metal bench alleviating his sore body, the tests today has been _really_ rough. "So, Peebs—,"

"I'll need you back here tomorrow too, Finn," Bubblegum sing-songed as she continued scribbling on her notepad.

"B-bonnie? Even Glob." But he was quickly cut off by her finger resting on his lips,

"No time, Finn, science doesn't wait, and neither will I. See you tomorrow, no arguments. Auf Wiedersehen!"

Finn's eye twitched as he ground his teeth, muttering out a goodbye as a migraine started to build in his head. It was roughly a fifteen-minute walk back to the treehouse, which gave him a more than enough time to stew his growing hate.

The recent breakup with Phoebe was still taken a toll on his sanity, his heart was in a dark place. As the treehouse neared, the sky became overcast and light drops of rain started to fall, further dampening his mood.

"Lumping clichés." Finn chuckled mirthless, at least it wasn't raining knives.

Being greeted by the silence of the house wasn't new, Jake had moved out a while back to stay with Lady. Finn didn't blame him, though he couldn't stop the small pang of betrayal to seep out from his heart.

Flopping down on the sofa, BMO hopped up, "Hey Finn, game-time?"

"Not today BMO, go explore the house… or something."

The little monitor was confused but smiled and wave before setting off, nonetheless.

He strolled into his room and began pacing. But it wasn't enough. He took to tearing apart his room— throwing furniture, breaking walls, ripping apart and slicing the walls until the whole room lost its original splendour. Not enough. It was never enough. He wanted more. He deserved more.

He sat down in the middle of his ripped-up, torn-apart couch and clutched his head in his hands. Violently, he rocked back and forth.

"Friends. Adventures. Villains. Lovers. Every last one of them. I hate them all!" He picked up a blade and gripped it till his knuckles turned white.

The sword was thrown from his hand at high speeds and embedded itself into a hollow tree trunk just beside the window. As Finn panted, he realized, "Hollow tree trunk?"

Prying the sword from the trunk, Finn tore the bark till he exposed a small cavity inside. Webs and dust coated the inner lining, it looked like it was made long before Marceline had moved in here. Praying that there'd be no spiders inside, he shot his hand in and felt about the darkness.

"There." A leather-bound book was pulled out, no inscriptions and no identifying symbols were found. Finn ran his hand on the surface of the book, it radiated warmth. But it wasn't a comforting warmth, there was something… evil about this book. Something much worse than the Lich could've ever achieved.

Looking around to make sure nobody had come in because of his rage just a few minutes ago, Finn hopped onto his partially destroyed bed and took a deep breath, braced himself and opened the book.

An otherworldly wail burst forth from the book. The building trembled and shook around him. Pipes running along the walls broke apart in explosions of water. The ceiling caved in and crumbled. The floor sunk and fell. Finn hovered in the middle of it all, strange letters from the book had surrounded him; forming a sphere of dizzying words.

"What's going on! BMO! BMO, buddy you there!?" Finn repeatedly pounded on the sphere of letters until his skin tore and bled, still unable to free himself.

"**Such rage, for one as young as yourself**." A husky voice sounded out.

"Who's there!?"

"**This is the first time I've been summoned unknowingly, you intrigue me, human**."

Turning to the right, Finn saw an adult sitting cross-legged in the air, an amused expression playing across his red, scarred skin.

Two long horns that curved upwards reflected the light coming in from the roof, as his abyss-black eyes stared at Finn. Long raven hair contrasted his well-toned red skin, a crimson cap just wrapping around him. "Who are _you_?"

"**Well may you tremble**! **For you gaze upon**... **Mephisto**!"

"Why're you here, Mephisto?"

"**You have opened my book**,** tore apart a rift to my realm and pulled me here**.** I am bound to aid you however I can**, **for the duration of your lifetime**."

Thoughts swam around, that sounded like a good offer. Something audibly snaps inside Finn, veins creeped up his neck as he smiled; dark and menacing.

Mephisto's eyes widened slightly as the largest smile formed, "**Such hate**!** Such**… **ambitions**,** with my help, you can have your revenge against them all**!"

Mephisto snapped his fingers and the duo were now standing in the grassy fields, just outside the ruined treehouse, Finn took a quick glance at his destroyed home, a hint of regret playing at his—,

"**Do not falter**, **child**. **Everything requires sacrifice**!"

A laugh escaped his throat. Worried that he'd hurt BMO?

There was anger.

He knew what he had to do.

"Power. That's what I need."

"**Indeed**." Mephisto pulled a vial of black liquid from his cape and tossed it to Finn, explaining that this was his ticket to revenge.

Potent demon's blood from the highest levelled. Mephisto explained that he could not give Finn everything straight away, after all, Finn was only human.

For now.

As Mephisto mused, he heard a soft thud as the vial dropped on the grass, empty. Dark veins creeped up Finn's body, his neck, his arms and body convulsed as he writhed in pain, clutching his neck.

"**Fool**! **Your body cannot sustain itself**!"

But Finn through an act of sheer will, stood up and clenched his fists, waited and grunted till everything subsided. Which Mephisto had said was impossible, Finn laughed as he wobbled. The sudden coursing of strength was _exhilarating_, with this much power… he could…

Finn looked up to the demon, about to speak before he was interrupted by a menacing laugh, "**Go**. **I will be in contact**."

* * *

He stood in the desert lands, over watching the Breakfast Kingdom. Black fire licked Finn's hands as he flexed them experimentally.

Within minutes the entire Breakfast Kingdom was swathed in flames, unable to be extinguished even if submerged in water fully. The inhabitants of the kingdom were all burnt to a crisp, not even the ashes were spared.

The three princesses were overthrown and thrown into the town square, Finn pressed a hand to the floor and watched the fire snake its way to the three of them. Unfortunately, Strudel and Toast Princess jumped forward and untied the bound Breakfast Princess, allowing her to escape.

She watched as the two royals start to melt and char horrifically. Making her way to the Candy Kingdom and up to Bubblegum's office. Whispers from the banana guards about Finn's turn to evil spread across the Candy Kingdom fast, much to the chagrin of Bonnie.

"And you're sure it was Finn? Cause the man doesn't usually have pyrokinesis."

Breakfast Princess swore on her honour and explained in great detail what had happened.

Distressed, the captain of the banana guards told her that Finn had been heading to an unknown stretch of towns towards the North.

"Send a platoon." She hurriedly said.

Just a few days later, only two guards returned, holding a sack of ashes, which confused the Candy Princess. "What's this? And where's the rest of the guards?"

The two guards looked haunted and slowly said, "This _is_ the rest of the guards, my princess."

Bonnie felt sick as she dry-heaved out the window. Her heart vehemently refused that this was the work of Ooo's greatest hero. This wasn't him, she knew it.

"This isn't the work of Finn," she continued even though the guards, too swore it was Finn, "Enough! He isn't, Finn wouldn't do this."

And that was the end of the discussion.

But why did she feel like it truly was him that caused all this pain?

* * *

Finn hummed a dark melody as he made ripples across the small pond that lead to Marceline's home. His shoes never breaking the water tension, leaving ripples in his wake. He was in a particularly good mood, razing a whole kingdom and destroying seven towns was…

A dizzying euphoria he had never felt before in all his quests. The shattering of bones and the burning of flesh, Glob it was _amazing_.

The pink door quickly came into sight as Finn rapped on it a few times.

The ever-young vampire opened the door and quirked her head when she saw Finn, "Hey Finn, why're you here?"

Her only response was Finn's hand latching onto her head and flinging her back, crashing into a wall just front of the kitchen. She whined in pain as she massaged her head, "What the H, Finn!?"

Her eyes glowed as she pounced on him, grabbing his arms and shouting for him to explain himself, but all she got was a sense of unease. "You were always quick to tease Marceline, I'm just returning the favor!"

A swift quick to her gut sent her barreling to the roof and back down to the ground where he continued raining punches down onto her, each punch was like a ball of steel hurtling at her. It was taking everything she had to defend herself, this was all coming from a human? Barely past sixteen?

She threw Finn aside. She sent rakes of claws and punches to him, which were easily blocked or parried by him.

"You're _really_ not doing well," the boy said, ridiculing Marceline as if she were powerless and frail. As if everything she'd done up to now had been a fluke.

"Should I give you a handicap? Let my partner handle you."

Marceline turned just in time to see a ball of fire heading towards her. She spun around quickly, throwing her sofa in front of it. Marceline's horrified face filled Finn's entire field of vision. "Tag in."

"**As you wish**." A voice came from behind her, a sudden piercing heat shot forth as she instinctively braced for impact.

The arc of flames slammed into her back, hurling her forward into Finn. He caught her in a hug and held Marceline tightly in his arms. Finn brought her head down and slammed it onto the floor with a loud, painful thud that reverberated throughout his skull a million times over. Her scream filled the air around him.

A whimper escaped her as Finn released her head and hair, she rolled over painfully. Sweat beaded on her forehead as her hair stuck to it in sticky clumps, her shirt burnt and scorched. "F-Finn?"

He looked at her, dark veins creeping around his hands like chains. He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to the destroyed sofa, putting her on it. Finn put a finger under her chin and made her look him in the eyes, he tenderly stroked her chin like a cat.

"That's all I'll tease you for today, I'll be staying here for the time-being." He sat down next to her and watched the last of the embers burn out, "Be a nice little vampire, and you'll be fine."

He planted a chaste kiss on her cheek and walked up to her bedroom, "Goodnight, Mar Mar."

She shivered at the name, tears threatening to spill. Her wounds had started to heal, but where she had been burnt, took significantly longer to stitch together. "Ow, ow." She patted her wounds with a quick antiseptic.

Marceline got out of the shower and dressed herself, her fingernails sharpened themselves to a deadly degree, this _thing_ wasn't Finn.

It was just something using his skin to _fuck_ with her.

She silently floated to the door but was stopped dead in her tracks by a stranger standing at the doorway, just looking out the window. His skin was horrifically burnt and scarred red, ebony horns turned to point at her as he smiled.

"**Ah**, **ah**. **It would be unwise to disturb my master**—," Marceline lunged at the man, managing to send a punch at his face, a thin streak of black dribbled out the side of his mouth.

"Master!? You're controlling Finn, you're so dead, you'll wish my Dad got to you first, dude." She got into a fighting stance.

"**The truth is not always what it seems**, **my master came to me on his own free will**. **Tired of being used**, **he sought my power to exact his vengeance**."

Mephisto stretched his arms outwards, as a blanket of black surrounded Marceline. Her consciousness started to fade as the man slipped his hands under her, carrying her into the bedroom and putting her next to Finn, whispering sweet nothings.

"**Evil is here**."

* * *

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	2. Knife's Edge

Marceline awoke with a painful ache in her neck and shoulders. Groaning, she pushed herself up and glanced around her bedroom, Finn had left the house a few hours prior…

She shuddered and threw a blanket over her shoulders. She'd wait for him to come back and assess the damage done before she did anything, that beating she took yesterday wasn't anything she wanted to go through again.

Marceline cleaned up in the washroom. Sighing as she waited on the porch of her home.

* * *

It had been two days since his last attack.

After his attack last night and the night before, the guards around the kingdoms would be on edge, guarding any place they suspected would be his next target. That meant it would be better for Finn to lay low today, in order to continue playing his game later. He would go back to Marcy's, but she wouldn't last long if they were to fight. Perhaps he should just break her in and be done with it?

"**Food for thought, Finn."** Mephisto mused.

"Guess so."

All in all, he was in for a spectacularly boring day. And he had woken up so early due to sleeping in the evening. What was he to do with his time?

Finn fell back onto the plains with a sigh and frowned. He wanted to play a game. But who would be his opponent?

Light drifted in through the tall grass. The sky was bright in hues of yellow, orange, and pink.

"Pink." Finn's eyes started to darken as he sat up, the bond that he and Mephisto shared, formed during the opening of the book, was flooded with his emotions, making the demon shiver in delight as he chuckled softly.

"Let's go."

Mephisto clicked his fingers and all that was left were the shallow indents of where they sat.

* * *

Bonnie grew more distressed as she listened to the banana guard's recount of what had transpired. "We speared him, Princess!" Somehow they had managed to sneak up on Finn, "But his blood was liquid napalm."

He brought up the spear and she examined the liquefied tip, though it was just a normal crystal tip, it would have taken a hell of a beating for it to turn liquid. Leaning back into her chair, she looked out to the kingdom, where all he citizens knew they were safe. But for how long more?

She'd protect the kingdom, whatever it takes.

"Continue your report. Beeile dich!"

The guard saluted before he continued. "We tailed him to a small town inside the woods, where a small group of wizards had holed up, ma'am."

"He didn't hesitate, he didn't even blink when he cut through the wizards." The guard simulated a slashing motion, "Finn's entire right arm was a whip made of fire, strong and flexible. It cut through them all like taffy on a cold day."

The wizards had put up a grand fight, though they were humble, living nomadically in the woods, they were powerful masters in their own right. Incantations were being shouted left and right as Finn weaved through the attacks expertly, some wizards being cut from the sword he was holding in his left. Some being halved by the fiery whip of his right.

"Did the banana guards not lend their aid?"

"We did, Princess. I was the one that ordered them all to their deaths."

Bonnie put a hand to his shoulder, "Captain, you know they don't blame you."

Shrugging her hand off gently, his eyes looked… tired. "They should have."

"The only sounds issuing out of my lips were gasps." The captain continued, "Darkness was steadily overcoming my grip on the situation. My platoon! Why were they killing the boy so slowly? It shouldn't have been that difficult! He'd already been worn down by the wizards!"

_"You think I don't know your plan?" Finn chuckled. He reared his arm back and hurled the captain through the air. The banana captain crashed into one of the town's walls, sending debris out around him. Before he could move, Finn was there, latching onto his arms and swinging him up like a rag doll._

_The captain knew exactly what was coming. But his reaction time was nowhere near adequate for this sort of opponent. This boy, this __thing__, was a menace. _

_No one could ever hope to oppose him._

_Finn swung the captain's body down. The sharp spire of debris from the broken wall stabbed his back, piercing clean through his torso, and he let out a sickening cry. The hero, the __demon__, above him only laughed and set glowing red hands on the metal spikes protruding from his stomach. With no effort at all, Finn bent the spikes over top of each other, trapping the captain there on the tower._

_Finn's venomous laughter drowned out the sounds of his pain. He released the captain's arms and stood towering above him. "I'd expected more from you. My mistake," he mocked. _

_He raised his arms. Fire wafted from his skin, rising up into the air like candle flames, coalescing into hundreds of arrows as far as the eye could see. "Did you know that flesh burns like wood?" Finn asked absently, pretending to be oblivious to the legion of flames growing behind him, though his voice was dark and threatening. _

_"Ask Breakfast Princess. It only takes a few seconds or so. Then you'll be smelling pine for the rest of eternity." He chuckled forbiddingly and the fire coming out of his skin turned to black flames that spread down his arms and gathered in his palms._

_The captain gaped up at Finn in horror and disbelief._

_No, no, no!_

_Screams filled the air. Not his, but the screams of all the other wizards and banana guards. The symphony of a massacre. _

_Laughter rang clear as a bell. The laughter of the boy who was in front of him right now. The laughter of a hero. Or was the one in front of him a madman?_

_It didn't matter._

_With not so much as a warning flick of the wrist, the flaming arrows came barrelling towards him, merciless and deadly. Fire seeped into the newly opened wounds._

_He'd lost._

"And he let you go?"

The captain finished retelling his encounter and nodded his head, "Finn said he needed someone alive to pass along the message."

"What's the message?" Bonnie gripped her dress tighter as she heard his words.

"The beginning of the end."

"Ready the gumball guardians and every force we have. Finn or not, he will be coming for the Candy Kingdom soon. I want to be ready for everything."

The captain nodded as he ambled out of the room, hopefully down to the medical officer's tent, before he goes to start the preparations. Bubblegum wheeled a chalkboard over and flipped it around, revealing a large mass of writing and blueprints.

All the reports had said he was using fire as a primary weapon source, and what better way to fight fire? Water, of course.

"Peppermint Butler, reopen project _Adam's Ale_."

The small round mint nodded as he descended down to the basement laboratory.

* * *

Finn tumbled headfirst through Marceline's front door and landed on his injured back. Cringing, he let out a grunt and dug his fingers into his arms. It _hurt_. Agonizing, excruciating pain far worse than hell, far worse than anything he'd ever experienced. Would it be so wrong to lay there for the rest of eternity? He was just so tired. His eyelids were heavy and drooping. Would it be so wrong to give in to sleep?

His hands wouldn't stop shaking as he drank water. It would be better to bandage them up, but he didn't want to take time for that. They would heal eventually. He was about to head back upstairs when he heard someone's footsteps in the shadows. It wasn't a guard, so that left only a handful of people. He heaved a sigh. It just wasn't his day. Weren't after-killings supposed to be relaxing?

Marceline's slender form appeared as she yawned, "Finn?"

The smell of iron invaded her nose, as her eyes glowed dimly, she dug her nails into the wall, making small dents.

"Why… are you here?"

She looked genuinely confused, "This is my house."

"Oh." Finn flopped onto the sofa, his bleeding had stopped somewhat, with Marceline slowly approaching him, she looked over his injuries.

Star-shaped burn marks, his left shoulder was lower than the other; a dislocation probably. Her eyes danced around, she could probably take him down if she really tried, and it was late in the evening right now.

"Whatever you're thinking of Marcy, I suggest you think it over _again_." His injuries only served to increase his growing ire with the infuriatingly cute vampire queen. Why can't he just kill her and be done with it? There was still something inside of him, that he needed to be rid of.

"You come into my house, and then beat the lumps out of me and I'm _not_ allowed to fight back? You're ridiculous." she muttered and regretted the instant she heard herself say it.

Heightened emotion renders the impossible possible and, in that moment, his speed was unparalleled, though demonic powers were also a factor. He was there in front of her, breathing down her neck, before she'd even realized he moved. Fingers digging in to the sleeves of her shirt, he forced her to step backwards, looming above her, never once breaking his stare or his iron hold. "_I'm_ ridiculous?" he scoffed, forcing her another step back. "_I'm_ ridiculous?" he said again, voice going up a notch, rage possessing him, moving one more step. "_You're_ the ridiculous one!"

Heat accumulated where his hands latched on to her and, with a sharp gasp, she remembered just how easily he could crush her. He was already strong when he was a human, taking down the Lich by himself, now he was jacked up with demon's blood. He was powerful enough to sustain all those injuries and still have the strength to move.

Powerful enough to bring a kingdom to its knees. He _had_ been patient. Exceedingly patient. And he'd had no reason to be. The thought brought on a wave of nausea.

He forced her another step back.

"Remember that you belong to me," he hissed.

Step.

"_I_ have your life in my hands."

Step.

"And_ I_ won't let you leave my side."

Marceline's back hit the wall. Finn's hands released her and came to rest on either side of her head, trapping her there as he pressed his leg between hers. "_Marcy._" The name rolled sensually off his tongue, a hot whisper, making her shiver.

His head lowered to her shoulder, nose pressing against her throat, inhaling her scent.

She smelt like apricots and vanilla. Finn moaned involuntarily.

Another gasp tore from her mouth. Her fingers twitched, scratching uselessly at the wood behind her. She felt the curve of his smile against her collarbone. He tilted his head back, slowly pressed a kiss to her pulse, felt her tremble beneath him. "You're _mine_."

The dark claim shot all the way through her, from her heart to her toes then up to her head. Dizziness washed over her. She wanted so desperately to push him away but _couldn't_. Her arms wouldn't move. Fear rooted her to the spot. Her fingers still scratched on uselessly.

Something was burning. The wood, she realized, as Finn's lips travelled up her neck to the back of her ear. His hands were burning the wood. But she was so _cold._

"F-Finn," she managed to say.

His warm lips captured her earlobe and all thought was lost. He rolled his tongue around it gently and smiled when she let out a raspy sigh only to gasp again. Slowly, so slowly she quivered from head to toe, he dragged his tongue along the shell of her ear.

"_Ah!_" Her hands flew up to his chest and she gripped his shirt. "Wait, please—."

"Never," he whispered into her ear and swept his tongue across it.

She moaned. It was the sound of her moan— lusty, unrestrained, _wrong_— that brought her enough strength to shove him back.

Whatever strength she'd thought she possessed was rendered non-existent before him. He barely even moved, in fact, the only reason he moved was to look down at her with a smirk on his face. "Understand now?" His voice was practically a purr. "How patient I've been with you?"

She nodded mutely, arms trembling, fingers clutching his shirt. It was the only thing keeping her standing.

Finn chuckled and leaned in again, snuggling into the crook of her shoulder. "May I continue?" he murmured, lips moving against her neck.

"No," she whispered, screwing her eyes shut, fighting to regain control of her breathing.

He reared up suddenly and wrenched her arms away from him to slam them against the wall. She let out a cry from the scalding heat, but Finn paid no heed. He sneered down at her. It was only then that she noticed. His eyes were red. Blood red.

"Selfish." He spat out the word. "How like a _vampire_."

"Spiteful." Her voice shook. "How like a human."

His grip on her wrists tightened. The heat that had been building on his palms, searing through the wood, turned arctic in a millisecond.

"You're always getting what you want. You don't like me after you've finished teasing me, I leave. You don't like your Dad, he leaves. You don't like me, I leave. When do _I_ get what _I_ want?"

For once, his red eyes showed another emotion other than hate, there was sadness in his eyes.

"Finn—,"

"You don't deserve to use my name."

"Then _who_ are you? Cause you're not Finn."

His eyes hardened back to loathing as he tightened his hold on her.

But Marceline refused to let him scare her. She wouldn't let him win. Summoning all her anger and disdain for the thing in front of her, she lifted her chin, raising herself above his gaze, and glared down at him with eyes bursting with hatred. "_Fuck. You_."

Finn's lips twisted. Jaw snapped. Eyes flashed. Hands constricted her wrists until her fingers grew numb. Then, for one terrifying moment, a wild, vicious, malignant smirk spread across his face.

Then his mouth crashed against hers.

Her outraged gasp was lost in the bruising press of his lips on hers, searing her with cold. Vainly struggling against him, she turned her head aside, but his lips found hers again, crushing them beneath his own.

"I'm not taking anything," he whispered raggedly as he pulled away.

She opened her mouth to respond but the words were swallowed by him. Savagely, he kissed her. Again. And again. Attacking her lips, roughly moving his against them. His grip on her wrists never slacking. She stilled beneath him, not bothering to struggle, and let him try to force her mouth to follow his ministrations, because she knew he would stop soon anyway.

And he did, with a self-satisfied smirk, his forehead resting on hers, red eyes blazing.

But then, as he leaned back and loosened his hold on her wrists, horror made his jaw drop and his eyes snap back to blue. Staggering backwards, he looked at his hands, now trembling uncontrollably, then back to her wrists and, finally, her face.

He tried to form words, but couldn't, only managing little choking sounds that soon turned into a heaving gasp as he wrenched his eyes away from hers. Gripping his head in his hands, he stumbled to the couch and leaned over it, groaning as if in pain.

Marceline stayed there, arms still up, frozen in place against the wall. Her whole body was trembling, but she hardly noticed, numb now to the sensation. She brought her arms down slowly, saw the hideous red welts marring her skin, and was strangely unaffected by it, detached from the situation as if it had never happened.

It looked bad but not _that_ bad. Not enough to warrant… She shifted her gaze to Finn, who had started to dry heave. Vaguely, she wondered if he'd eaten the dinner she'd made for him earlier, if he vomited it out or if it just burned up as soon as it reached his internals.

He glanced at her over his shoulder, cutting her tangent thoughts short. As soon as their eyes met, she darted forward, zooming through the door, and flew towards the Candy Kingdom as quick as she could.

Finn groaned as his injuries and fatigue caught up with him. As darkness consumed him, he felt hands latch on and steady him. "**Shall I give chase?**"

But Finn was already out cold.

Mephisto tilted his head and snapped his fingers, Finn landing softly onto the bed as he walked into the kitchen and saw the plate of untouched food.

"**Oh my…**" His mouth started to water as he saw the large assortment of foods, if his master was going to pass this up, he'd might as well accommodate himself. Waste not want not, Finn would say.

* * *

"Marceline!" Bonnie ran up to the waning vampire as she landed roughly onto the carpeted floor. Herr hair was dishevelled, and she shivered from the cold air, being only dressed in her pyjamas.

Lugging her up to the king-sized bed, the pair wrapped themselves into the blanket as the leaned against the headboard. "Thanks…"

A cup of hot chocolate landed in her hands as she slowly took sips of the warm liquid, Bonnie took the time to take in her appearance.

Her hair was in a mess, her wrists had this odd bruise around it, like someone tied her up with metal coils. Putting a finger to her lips, Bonnie moved them around gently, they were bruised in the centre and the left, "Care to explain why you like you look like this?"

"I don't hate him." Those were the first words out of her mouth when she looked up at the set of narrowed, worried— starry eyes. Bonnie sucked in a breath, before she gave a smile.

"You both fight with fire, so you both get burned."

With a bored look on her face, she lifted her arms, giving Bonnie a clear view of the burns. "I'm pretty sure _I'm_ the only one who got burned."

"I already know he's psychotic," Marceline said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"I never knew Finn could hate so much, did he do anything to you?"

"No," she said tersely, her blush giving her away, but if Bonnie saw it, she didn't comment. "What's his next plan?"

"He's gonna attack every chump that ever took him for granted. I'm guessing his finale is attacking the Fire Kingdom in some twisted game of chess."

Bonnie threw her head back and landed in the mass of pillows, her eyes fluttered closed as her voice downed a notch. "Don't worry," She pulled Marceline down and they faced each other, just centimetres apart. "The Candy Kingdom has the weapons if he comes, and the banana guards have been training to be well versed in the use of the weaponry."

"…Are you going to kill Finn?"

She chewed her candy lips, her eyes hardening. "If I have to, I will."

* * *

Bathed in moonlight, Finn's red eyes shone brilliantly, two beacons of crimson atop the roof that stared unblinkingly into the stillness of a black, black night. Chin resting over his folded arms, he inhaled deeply every few seconds. The waning moon was eerily appropriate, the circle of pale, evanescent light being diminished, preparing to leave the land in utter darkness before new light came to replace the old. For him, the new light would lead to the world's destruction, an anarchic future of desolation. The end of the world.

He clenched his hands, stained tools of destruction, into fists, proud of them.

"Mephisto," he murmured aloud. "I know you're listening. And you know what I want. So get it over with."

"**The heart **_**is**_** a burden, my master. This will silence your humanity.**" Mephisto held out a centipede that wriggled around in his palm, dropping it onto Finn's open one.

"**Consume it, and it will wrap itself around your heart, allowing you to revel in your hatred.**"

Finn threw his head back as he felt the insect crawl down his throat, burrowing its way and tightening its long body around his heart. Harsh choking sounds came from him as he coughed.

Soon after, the silence of the night remained unbroken.

Eventually, his body loosened, relaxing, and with the release of tension, a strangled laugh tore through him. Finn didn't know how long he had lay there, until dawn started. He sat up and looked towards the direction of the Candy Kingdom.

Standing up, he pressed a palm on the roof of Marceline's home, fingers pointed towards the sugary kingdom. "**Your next move, my master?**"

"Annihilation."

A pillar of fire rose from the ground and sped towards the Candy Kingdom, leaving a wake of charred trees and dead animals in its wake. Finn walking right behind it, while Mephisto rested inside of him.

* * *

.

A/N : I have put line breaks but for some reason they can't be view on mobile, so I suggest reading this on a PC, apologies everyone!

**Please leave a heart and follow! **It helps me continue writing so much!

**Leave a review too, to let me know what I should improve on and what you'd like to see!**

As always, see you all in the next chapter!


	3. The Unveiling

The walls melted and crumbled as the pillar of fire broke through.

"He's here." Bonnie and Marceline were in the lab, reviewing the weapons last-minute. The gum princess passed Marceline a little warhead shaped trinket.

"What's this?"

"…A last resort. It'll take Finn down, permanently."

"And you're passing it to me!?" Marceline put it back into Bonnie's hand, "Pass, dude."

The ceiling of the basement shook, dust that had previously collected started to rain down. After a series of coughs, they walked up together in somber silence, Bonnie being cloaked with hidden weapons while Marceline held her battle-axe.

"He raped you! And you're not doing anything about it!?"

"R-rape!? Finn didn't rape me!"

The elevator to the surface dinged and they entered.

"Explain your bruised lips and the wrists then."

Her cheeks grew hot with shame, and Marceline waved her hands around exasperatedly, "Look, if was just a rough make-out session, and it hurt my pride too. After the kiss, Finn looked like he was about to keel over, do my lips taste bad?"

"Wait, what happened to him?"

Three floors to the surface.

"His eyes did this funky colour change, and that's when I flew to your place."

Before any statements could be further made, the elevator opened its doors to the scene out of a nightmare. The inhabitants of the Candy Kingdom were all melting, some were on the floor in puddles of sugar and colouring.

While others were flammable, and others were broken pieces of glass. Bonnie cupped a hand to her mouth, "Oh my Glob."

The banana guards were mobilised, wearing black trench coats that were highly fire-resistant, going rounds to douse any citizens that needed it. Black smoke rose from the highest buildings as some toppled.

"Meet me in the kingdom's centre park, Finn'll be there."

Marceline nodded as she turned invisible, and took to the air. Bonnie started running.

* * *

The screams.

Nostalgic, the sound. The flames. The odour. The smoke blackened sky.

He laughed. A chuckle, at first. A little bubble of mirth, stretching his lips into a smile, a grin.

The screams.

The laughter.

A dizzying euphoria. Rapid-fire streams of fire. Bodies fallen, scrambling for safe haven, staining the pink expanse.

It was beautiful.

Macabre.

Hell.

And he was king.

Finn saw the candy monarch cursing his name in the centre park and jumped from his vantage point, landing just a few metres away from her.

"Hello, princess."

* * *

A punch at his midriff sent him reeling back, his grin still plastered onto his face. Bonnie had tears streaming down her face as she rained punches on him, Finn's laughter would haunt her in the coming nights.

A hand stopped her advances as he grinned, his arms were coated in flames, much like the inhabitants of the Fire Kingdom. He looked like a fire elemental, if not for the black fire.

"Don't get over… in your head?" Finn scratched the side of his head, not too sure of the correct phrase.

"I planned for everything, Finn."

Two hands emerged from the ground, swallowing Finn into their palms. The Gumball Guardians rose to their full height from the earth, compressing their hands together in hopes of crushing the threat. Just as things started to look good, smoke emanated from inside their hands as the Gumball Guardian's eyes widened in concern.

The creaking of their metallic arms could be heard in horrific clarity as Finn's form emerged. Sweaty and grunting in exertion as he pried the large hands apart. He leapt to the head of the Gumball Guardian and headbutted it, cracking the glass.

Sucking in a breath, he punched through the glass and the tall machine wobbled before falling into a great heap.

"Send in all the banana guards!"

A sea of yellow charged towards Finn, who dodged in between all the spear attacks, only being cut by some. But even he was not untouchable. Blinding pain shot through his back as he saw a spear puncturing through.

Finn shouted as he curled in on himself, before exploding outwards with a ring of fire. Sending all the guards crashing into the candy trees and buildings.

"What next, Peebles?" Heat accumulated where his wound was and quickly cauterized it.

"You think you can just waltz right in here and take over? You're dreaming, even for you, Finn."

She clicked a series of buttons on her wrist-band and a deep rumbling sounded off. Five large torrents of water erupted from the ground and stayed constant in the air, the center of the park being its convergence point.

"So, you have a waterworks show, am I supposed to be impressed?"

But Bonnie only smiled, which only sought to irritate Finn. He clenched his fist and punched forward, expecting a surge of fire to jet forward and blow a hole through the candy monarch.

But that never happened.

A soft fizzle of flames came forwards, but quickly fizzled out. "What?"

Kicking forwards, the same thing happened again. Flames erupted from his sole, only to fizzle out immediately. "What did you do!?"

"This is my Water Array," Bonnie motioned to the five pillars of water, all easily twenty meters high. "It generates moisture to the point that any fire will be immediately doused."

"You're hilarious, you think I need fire to kill you?" Finn charged forward and entered hand-to-hand combat with Bonnie, who met him blow for blow.

A high kick was countered by a parry while a fist was blocked with her elbow. This fast exchange of explosive moves was watched overhead by Marceline, who anxiously chewed her lips. A part of her wanted Bonnie to win, but a small part screamed for Finn to be alright.

"**You seem distressed, master. Do you require assistance?**"

Finn shook his head mentally, sitting inside his mindscape. He sat on a dark iron throne as Mephisto stood in front of him, casually reading a novel. "Her little water show is in the way of fire, what the Bjork."

"**Just increase the intensity of your flames,**"

Leaning up from the throne, he asked, "What difference does it make? It'll just tire me out even faster."

"**How can an ant ever stand up to a boot? You give my power far less credit than you should…**"

"Kugh!" Finn was slammed into the ground by a throw from Bonnie. Out of the mindscape, he put Mephisto's advice outwards. Taking a brazen battle stance as he pointed two fingers towards her.

"Don't you get it? Your flame's already been controlled Finn! Just give up, and we can still sort something out with you, come back to us!"

"Shut. Up." A small flame, the shape of a guitar pick ignited at his fingertips, before it changed to a deep blue. A loud sparking could be heard before a thin stream of hellfire shot forth, barely missing Bonnie and destroying one wing of the Candy Castle.

"Control my flames? Who said that?" His eyes shifted as his grin widened.

"Only I get to decide that."

"**End this quick, Finn. Your body cannot sustain this much power being released through such a small vessel.**"

Finn shot blast after blast at Bonnie, ignoring the pain that threatened to engulf him in unconsciousness, ignoring the sting of Marceline running away from him, ignoring everything except the thought of not being able to take over the Candy Kingdom and sending it to ruins.

His rage fuelled his strength, so potent it was almost as if he hadn't just been engaged in a deadly battle minutes before. Being trapped inside the Water Array had given him a few moments to prepare himself and gather the last reserves of his energy, as short as it was. As soon as he'd felt the familiar tug pulling his energy out from his body, he'd started firing away.

No thoughts. No schemes. Just aim and fire.

He saw something move from the corner of his eye and shot at it blindly. Explosions sounded around him, filling the park with translucent clouds of smoke.

He felt the sensation of gliding behind him and whirled around, launching a wide beam of flames that sent Marceline in a mad rush to the sky.

"Marcy!" Bonnie screamed. Finn followed the sound and let off another fire stream. "_Augh!_" Bonnie crashed through the air, a wounded bird. But only the strong survive. Finn readied another shot.

That was the sun, Marceline thought.

Finn threw a huge ball of fire that cannonballed itself towards Bonnie, who had slipped on a blue-stoned ring, and raised her hand up; all the water from the remaining four pillars coalesced into one single point, above Bonnie's head.

A sphere of water that nearly dwarfed Finn's fireball now hurtled towards the centre of the park. The explosion from the two colliding would be massive, and Bonnie was unprotected, save for her broken armour.

It was almost as if she could hear Finn's voice talking to her, "_Save her, I'll be right behind you_."

Marceline's muscles were taut, stretched to what felt was their limit, likely to tear, and bringing with them fire, a scorching heat inside her body that brought tears to her eyes and a haze in her head that prevented all thoughts but one.

Save Bonnie.

Nothing was enough to stop Marceline from ripping through the air at speeds unknown to anybody. Swallowing back the coughs that threatened to wrack her body, Marceline tasted blood in her mouth, felt it drip from her nose, gritted her teeth, and pressed on.

Bonnie.

She would save her even if it killed her.

Time slowed as Marceline curved around Bonnie's petite frame, the fireball crashed into the ball of water. The shockwave sending both of them flying, crashing and rolling on the ground. And as everything settled, she coughed as she held Bonnie up. Both clinging to each other for support, "You alright?"

"Nothing a long nap won't fix." Bonnie laughed, "Is he…"

"Doubt it, the kid's resilient."

A silhouette trudged through the steam, "Finn?" Marceline called out.

"Who, what is that _thing_!?" Bonnie whisper-shouted.

A taller frame walked out, easily over hundred-eighty-centimetres, twin ebony horns jutted out and curved upwards. The muscles were built and lithe, making him look agile and strong.

Finn smirked as he looked over his new form, his black sclera was in contrast with the shimmering crimson pupils, his skin was still a normal human's colour, which he liked immensely.

"Now I'm going through demonic puberty," Finn's curved smile made Marceline shiver.

She couldn't find the words to answer him, the image of the new Finn was still hard to take in. "Glob, you're so hot when you're dumbfounded."

The sheer power radiating of Finn started to warp the Candy Kingdom, the floor twisted and malformed into hideous shapes, in a blink of an eye, he was in front of Bonnie, flinging Marceline away.

"Goodbye, princess."

His hand was raised, and a spire of fire ignited, making his hand look like a tip of a drill, and he plunged it forward at the beaten and bruised Bubblegum, who had a mixture of anger, fear, sorrow and acceptance morphing through her features.

"Wait!"

Finn's arm stopped millimetres from Bonnie's chest, as his eyes darted to Marceline. "Please… don't."

"Oh? And why should I?"

"You can have me, I'll do whatever you want, just… leave her alone."

Seconds passed, but it felt as though it was an eternity. Finn's eyes whorled with little flecks of the blue inside the sea of red, and just for a split moment, Marceline—.

"You overestimate yourself, Marcy. I don't need you. I don't need anybody."

The spire of flames powered itself up again, plunging down to Bonnie's chest again.

Something audibly snapped in Marceline's mind, pouring liquid anger down her body, through her veins, wiping out all sensible thought in the wake of wrath, the only clear goal, Finn's shattering screams.

Clenching her jaw so tightly a headache pulsed in her skull, she bit back the cry of rage that seared the back of her throat. It took all of one second to brace her feet on the floor and propel forwards and rocketing past a wide-eyed Bubblegum.

"Marceline!"

Marceline growled, snapping her teeth, and tore through the candy buildings at a ferocious pace, already metres beyond the clearing of the town park, so fast that everything blurred, and Bonnie lagged behind.

"_Marcy!_"

The words were a distant flicker of sound behind her, just barely penetrating the roaring of the wind, too far for her to care and not the voice she wanted to hear.

Her fingers ached, being clenched so tightly into Finn's body. Her jaw ached as she ground her teeth. The wind whipped away all traces of Finn's warmth, from his lips, his hands, his chest. Torn away from him because his inability to tell her the truth had driven him from her side when she needed him most.

Selfishly, stupidly, he'd _shut himself in besides talking to her_. Let himself be fooled into thinking everything would work out right, that the world had abruptly turned a new leaf and found a place for him to flourish, given him time to work things out.

They crashed through more buildings, Marceline using Finn as a body-pillow as the rubble tumbled atop of them. As the last of her energy ran out, Marceline threw Finn into one last building, and watched as it too, crashed down on him.

She sat, heaving in exhaustion on the ground, tears freely spilling. Her red, puffy eyes staring at the destroyed apartment block. "Finn, you're breaking my heart. I'll never stop loving you, but you're going down a path I can't follow!"

A hand rose out of the mess of candy concrete and steel, with a wave of his hands, Finn showed himself.

Though he was the victor in name, he was a tragic sight.

Finn's entire body was covered in scorch marks. And his deep wounds oozed fresh blood. Perhaps it was due to its temperature, but the blood sizzled as it touched the floor, and the sound did not stop for a moment.

The two horns had chipped away and his eyes had turned back to just being red, though his new physique remained.

His face was lightly bruised, one eye was bleeding. A singular line cutting down, probably from Marceline's claw, Finn took slow steps towards her, but stopped when his left leg gave out. Now he was kneeling as he glared at her, his smirk still on his face.

"Stop, stop now. Come back! _I love you_."

And now it was just the two of them.

Finn looked confused and weary as he trudged his way to her, now he was so close their noses could have touched. "Love isn't what I need, Phoebe's already proven that." His voice was raspy and choked, maybe his throat had been injured?

"Maybe one day, I'll be what you need." She slowly put a hand to his face and watched as his arms trembled.

"I don't hate you, I'm just disappointed you turned into everything you said you'd never be, you were a hero, Finn. You were someone I could look up to, someone I could confide in."

"For whatever it's worth, I did love you, very deeply. Things just never work out the way you think they will." And the crazed laughter and glinted eyes returned, Finn shakily stood up and squinted as he saw a figure running up to him, catching him off guard and slamming a fist into his face.

As he groaned and sat up, he looked to see Bonnie carrying Marceline away as she picked up a little… pebble? He could hear Marceline shouting something, she was trying to reach for whatever Bonnie was holding.

"**That's a bomb, a powerful one at that.**"

Rage filled Finn as he saw in slow-motion, Bonnie tossing the bomb over as it sailed through the air towards him. Watched Marceline cry out for him to run, hide, anything, just not stand in that same stupid spot.

Finn clenched his fist and braced his legs, "Liar!" He shouted as the warhead hit the ground.

And it was as though the whole might of the ocean had come forth. A large tsunami had appeared on _dry_ land, easily forty-metres tall; it rumbled towards him at terrifying speeds. "Finn! Run!"

He didn't need to be told twice, he could come back and decimate the Candy Kingdom next time, but his life? There was no next time, there is no shame in running from an overpowering foe, and Finn didn't have the power yet to battle nature itself.

After having taken a few steps, he found himself rooted to the spot. "What!?"

Melted jelly beans had glued his feet to the floor, he watched in anger as Bonnie had used her elemental powers to stop him, "Jelly beans, how original Bonnie! Are you really going to kill me? After all I've done for you!"

"You don't get to use the hero card! Not after everything you've done."

"You're all… such… hypocrites!" he yelled, stomping a foot, barrelling fire from his body in shockwaves that fizzled out when it hit the tsunami.

"It's a wonder I wasn't done with you sooner. It's a wonder I let you live as long as I did." He glared at each of them in turn. "But now," he chuckled suddenly, "now living will be a torment. Living will be hell. Just like it was for me!"

"Finn—." Marceline started.

He whirled, a sneer on his face, and the words died on her lips. But in that one moment, a vision of clarity overcame Finn.

"Ire in domum suam" Finn spoke, eyes blue before he was consumed by the wave.

* * *

Three days had passed since that event, Marceline was still in the Candy Kingdom, afraid of what Finn had told her. He had spoken an old language she'd never heard since the Mushroom Wars, Latin.

"Go home, Finn said."

Marceline looked at Bubblegum's stump of a left hand. Her stare must've been pretty obvious, because Bonnie chuckled and started stretching it.

"It was gum," she said with a smile. "I can recreate it."

"But it hurt…"

Bonnie caressed Marceline's hair and rested her arm across her shoulders. "Yeah. But not anymore." Marceline shifted, nudging her closer. She crawled forward, all but collapsing into Bonnie's embrace, and circled her arms around her torso.

"I'm tired," she muttered into his Bonnie's chest. "I want this to end." She swallowed thickly, her grip tightening. "I want Finn back."

Bonnie heaved another sigh and affectionately patted her head. "Me too, Marcy. Me too."

"Hey Bonnie, I'm heading home."

"Oh, be safe." Bonnie waved a hand as Marceline slowly made her way back to the cave.

A streak of red leading inside the house was seen, little currents of blood were also in the water, only making her more anxious.

A gut feeling told her to turn invisible and she did, silently hovering through the second floor's window and making her way into the living room. The red demon was towering over a still healing and groggy Finn. Bruises from where the high-pressured water hit him were still fresh.

She floated closer to hear them speak.

"**You realize they're contemplating ways to kill you as we speak**," Mephisto snarled, patience worn thin.

Finn didn't even flinch. "I know."

"**Yet you still feel pity?**" Mephisto prodded.

Finn's mouth shifted in the semblance of a sneer. "Of course not."

Mephisto sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "**Then why was vomiting first on your to-do list?**"

"I'm not used to it, okay!" the boy snapped, eyes flashing.

"**Not used to what? You used to do this for sport**."

"But never to rule! Never to have people grovel at my feet like I'm a god! It's humiliating, but they did it anyway."

"**But they'll **_**live**_," Mephisto hissed. "**Isn't that better than the alternative?**"

"…But—"

"**Do **_**not**_** grow faint-hearted at the sight of their terror**," Mephisto growled. "**Do **_**not**_** let my efforts on your behalf be in vain. They **_**don't**_** love you. They **_**don't**_** care for you. And you'll find out soon enough that they're planning to stab you in the back if you show it to them! And you **_**know it!**_"

Finn's arms trembled, taut as they were at his sides, fingers curled and digging into his palms. He glared at the floor, taking long, slow breaths.

Mephisto waited a moment, then approached the boy and lifted his chin with a finger. "**I won't let them hurt you again,**" he murmured. "**But you have to **_**trust me**_** and do as I say without feeling.**"

"I know."

Mephisto dropped his hand with a sneer. "**Then wipe that mortal expression off your face and give these weaklings what they deserve. For hating you when you fought to save them. For wishing you dead when all you wanted was peace. They taunted you, struck you. They **_**killed**_** you, Finn. But I gave you new life, new purpose.**" He smirked when Finn flicked his narrowed eyes upwards, nostrils flared and chest heaving.

"**Burn their sinful world to the ground.**"

Finn matched his wicked smile and Mephisto couldn't help but laugh.

Marceline listened to the exchange and was now certain of it, it was this demon that had twisted and corrupted Finn, there had to be _some _way to free him! She wracked her brain for any clues and all she could think of was, was what Finn had told her.

She flew into her bedroom and thought quietly. "Go home, what did Finn mean?"

Marceline scanned the room, "Home…"

Until her eyes landed on Hambo, sitting on a little shelf. She had this since she was a little girl, when she called a little rundown apartment home, "Maybe?"

Taking Hambo into her hands, she felt a little solid bump inside of the soft toy, and gave a soft smile before apologising to the little monkey. A singular nail was sharpened as she made an incision, parting the cotton inside as she found a chess piece, the Queen.

It had engraving at the bottom, "Auriel?"

She didn't know who or what this name meant, but maybe Simon's library had something she could start on. The slamming of her doors could be heard, and she saw Finn laughing and storming off in the direction of the Fire Kingdom.

Time was running out.

* * *

.

A/N: Rating might change to **M** for future chapters, you've been warned.

That's another chapter done! I hope this is still going good for everyone, I have a few more ideas I'd like to put into the story, so please look forward to that!

I'll try to push chapters out every 4 days, because my classes start tomorrow!

**Please leave a heart and follow, and write a review too!** Thank you!


	4. Heart Rend

The Fire Kingdom's grand council were waiting for him patiently. "You've come with a proposition," said Phoebe as soon as the head of the guards, Vulcan, appeared.

"Indeed." He settled himself behind the podium of their meeting room and stared up at the queen and her confidants.

"In light of Finn's attempt on Princess Bubblegum's life, we have every right to slaughter him where he stands, as the royal responsibilities entail. _However,_" Vulcan lifted a hand to silence their chatter,

"He is much too powerful now, I suggest we start training soldiers with the power from the central flame." Vulcan grinned. "You'll give me one month. One month in which you'll do nothing, command nothing, and _encourage_ nothing to stand in my way of how I train your soldiers. That includes you, Queen Vermillion. After one month's time, I guarantee Finn's death. You have three seconds to accept."

"_What—_" Phoebe started.

"We accept!" A council member shouted.

"How dare you—"

"We have no choice—"

"There is _always_ a choice—"

"One month!" someone shouted, and the others quieted. "One month. Starting now. That's all you get."

Vulcan chuckled, pleased to have rankled them so thoroughly. "I'll be looking forward to it."

Phoebe's eyes burned brighter as she gripped her throne tighter, her black gown shifting slightly from her anger.

* * *

Finn was quickly getting used to his new body, the extra weight that his twin black horns had been considered as did his taller and more built frame.

His mouth could unhinge and open all the way, opening up to 150 degrees. His tongue had also lengthened itself, easily spanning a metre.

His fingernails were short and sharp, easily tearing flesh apart with surgical precision. Red eyes scanned the woods as he moved about the stump he sat on.

Taking a locket out of his black satchel that Mephisto had given him, he opened it. Gazing at a photograph of him and Phoebe holdings hands, smiling at the camera.

He wanted to see her. Wanted to hear her voice. Wanted to hear her scream.

How dare she—!

But maybe…

No!

Not again. Never again.

How long until she saw the monster he had become?

He was destined to be alone. Destined to be hated. Destined to become a monster.

So he screamed out all his hopes and set Ooo ablaze.

* * *

As the trees burned around him, he heard running behind him and spun around. A large fleshy hammer slammed into his head, sending him crashing through ashy trees and landing in a puddle.

"Finn, bro, don't do this," Jake had said, extending a hand.

"Betrayer," Finn hissed and charged at him fists first.

Jake's reluctance to fight cost him the battle.

He vowed to never let it happen again.

* * *

Jake's barely breathing body was left immobile under a log, Finn deciding it be best for the canine to stew on his anger; and then finally come to have his revenge. It would be a sweet moment to finally see the despair growing on his face!

But then…

He felt something twist in his body, _something_ was writhing in pain inside his chest. Blood dribbled out of his mouth as he clutched where his heart would be.

After the carnage. After the adrenaline faded. When he took a step back and surveyed the wreckage. That was when it struck him. When whatever sane thing inside his head broke free of the tumult and left him with a staggering _What have you done?_

It lasted a moment. A brief widening of the eyes. A roiling in his gut.

Then Jake groaned as he started to flutter his eyes open, just in time.

Finn's brain throbbed in his skull. He swore his eyes were bulging from their sockets. And he _hated_ them.

And himself.

So he ran.

* * *

"You need anything, Princess?"

The round Cinnamon Bun walked Phoebe to her bedchamber as she sighed, "It's alright CB, just a little tuckered out."

"Okay, Princess. I'll be outside your door." He gave a comical salute as he turned around, facing away from the door, eliciting a chuckle from Phoebe.

Changing into her white nighties, she sat down on the bed as her fiery hair lost its voluminous mass and slowly drafted down to rest on her shoulder, flames still gently licking it.

She picked up a little doll, made of a rare material that could resist fire entirely. The material had been found in one of the oldest volcanoes from the Fire Kingdom. It was as durable as the toughest crystals, yet as soft as a pillow.

"_My Queen," The royal blacksmith held out the material, the size of an adult's palm. "We only have this much. Not enough for a weapon, but perhaps you'd have something in mind to make use of this?"_

_Phoebe put a hand to her chin and thought, before a blush covered her face. And she muttered something, making the blacksmith laugh heartily. Which only sought to make Phoebe flush harder as she nudged him, hard._

"_Oh, young love, this brings back memories of my wife as well." The blacksmith chortled as he started stretching and hammering the material._

_His work was unparalleled in all of the Fire Kingdom, and in just a few days, a little package was sent to her bedchambers. _

_Phoebe opened it._

"You, are causing me so much trouble." Phoebe pouted as she held the little Finn doll. It had it's own standalone clothing that she had sewn using fire cloth, it all matched his original blue clothing and even had its own little white hat.

Her lips trembled as her voice cracked, "Come back…" She shook the doll around as her muffles screams came from the pillow.

A memory from the Candy Kingdom's baseball game drifted her to sleep.

_"__Heck yeah!"_

_Bonnie fell out from her seat, landing in the grass with a thud. Every candy citizen within a three-meter radius jumped, reeling around to try to find the voice. Gaining her bearings, Bonnie glanced around. That was Finn's voice. And then she spotted them._

_Barrelling down the grassy field came Finn, trailing behind him a long banner. Perched on his shoulders was Phoebe, cackling her head off. Both of them were completely and fully decked out head to toe in Candy baseball regalia, complete with lollipop heads and foam fingers. Phoebe's normal t-shirt was replaced with what looked to be at least __two__ jerseys, her entire face painted pink and gold, though it was starting to burn off. _

_Her shorts were ripped and tattered in several places, smeared with grass stains and nearly whitewashed from age. Finn had a matching jersey over his normal day blue shirt, the entire front nearly obscured with the sheer amount of buttons pinned to it. "Go Candys!" and "I heart the Candys" bumper stickers were plastered all over the both of them; down their arms, legs, backs and chests. _

_One was right slap dab on Phoebe's forehead. The banner Finn was trailing behind him was painted with gaudy neon colours and glitter, reading "We won!" in awful hand painted royal font. He had a tight hold to one of Phoebe's ankles, the curvy elemental completely oblivious to how unstable her 'seat' really was since both her hands were busy waving frantically around. Neither of them seemed to care about the disruption they were causing._

_Finn continue to race his way across the baseball field, Phoebe whooping and hollering the entire way._

_Bubblegum's jaw hung loosely, fallowing the screaming duo with dumbfounded eyes. Which seemed to be the only reaction anyone was capable of at the moment. "They're actually doing it."_

_"Suck it, Vampires! Can't touch our team!" Phoebe screamed, very nearly launching herself off Finn's shoulders in her enthusiasm. She caught herself before she could topple off, her wild, untamed cackling resuming with renewed vigour as she waved her lollipop hat in the air, "We lumping won!"_

_"24 to nothing!" Finn boomed, his voice surprisingly weak compared to Phoebe's insane volume._

_They circled around, and Bonnie waved her hand in the air. The celebrating duo slowed to a top in front of her, Finn kneeling on his knees to try to catch his breath. Phoebe swayed from her perch, a wide, goofy grin splitting her face. _

_Her long fiery hair was in haggled tangles from the wind and waved in the wind, standing tall. She ran a hand through it, yanking her fingers sharply when they caught on the tangles. Her face was flushed; pure, raw happiness shone in her eyes. Bubblegum shook her head, laughing at them._

_"You're both absolutely crazy, you know that?"_

_Finn beamed, "I'd rather be crazy than be bored!"_

* * *

"Sir, the central flame has been retrieved from the grand armoury."

"Well done, begin the assimilation process immediately."

The soldier saluted Vulcan as he rallied everyone into a straight line, the flame sparked and drifted into the air, sparking and spreading out to over two-hundred little candle-like flames.

Each flame zipped into a fire elemental soldier and they started to change. Their elemental matrixes were morphed into something far stronger, being able to dish out more heat and enhancing their durability.

"Good, good," Vulcan smirked to himself, "We can finally kill that wretched human… Queen Vermillion's heart will finally be mine for the taking."

* * *

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Apologies for the short chapter! Its been a hectic week for me :-(

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	5. Kindling

Finn peeked just behind a small pile of rocks just above the main barracks of the Fire Kingdom's soldiers. The protective barrier warped about his body in humming winds, calling forth ancient symbols of the occult that glowed faintly on his skin.

A permanent snarl had curled his lips at the flame soldiers. "Those bastards," he whispered.

He'd scoped out the entire Fire Kingdom's terrain, taking count of the soldiers various weaponry, their defensive stances, the angle of their spears. His red eyes locked on their squadrons and the skewed forms of the fire elementals who were standing in his way.

Righteous anger tore through him.

Were they all training to fight him? And this was what he had allowed?

His knife-like nails dug into his palms. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that death wasn't fitting for the Fire Kingdom. He wanted Phoebe to suffer. He wanted her to cry out to him for mercy. He wanted her to bleed twice as much as he did, when he fought for them.

He would wait.

He wanted them all dead.

* * *

"How is progress going, Vulcan?"

"Ah, Princess," Vulcan practically purred out as he knelt and kissed Phoebe's hand. "The central flame has successfully been integrated into every soldier we have. They have power almost equal to the former Flame King."

Phoebe pulled her hand back in disgust before her eyes widened in realisation. They had the strength that was almost on par with that of her Father's? That was amazing to say the least, and that was the understatement of the century.

Her own power could barely suppress his, and Vulcan was saying that her soldiers could do it by themselves? A sickening turn of her stomach made her feel _very _glad that she commanded them instead of being their enemy.

"T-This is good, keep up the good work, Vulcan."

"Anything for you, my queen." He bowed before disappearing inside a tent.

Phoebe sighed as she looked over the horizon, and she too, vanished into the castle.

"How are the patrols? Any sign of our wonder-boy?"

"No sir, we've lost all contact with them."

"What did you say?"

"T-they've been put out, sir."

A backhand sent the soldier flying through the air and out the tent, landing in a crumpled heap. An enrage Vulcan stood, trembling in rage. These useless elementals! Could they not stop one human from destroying his plans?

"Sir!" Another flame elemental snaked into the room and handed him a scroll that had been delivered from another squadron.

The scorching parchment read,

_The Finn you know is gone, replaced by a demon of fire. His eyes were the colours of rage and hatred as he cut hundreds of us down in an instant, his weapon—,_

The area of the paper was burnt by magma, the blood of fire elementals. Vulcan grunted as he continued,

_Beware the sun, it powers him. Amplifies his power to an insane degree, it is too late for us._

He suppressed an involuntary shiver, but a loud shout interrupted his thoughts. "Sir! Sir! He's here—!"

The flame soldier screamed as his form became unstable, a hand puncturing his chest as his form erupted. And from the ashes, Finn's maniac smile emerged.

"Hello, Fire Kingdom." Finn sing-songed.

Vulcan screamed, "Attack! What are you idiots waiting for!?"

A sea of fire charged at Finn, who stood idly by, feeling his horns up and down. Black sclera hiding the movement of his crimson eyes. But when he moved, bodies were flung in the air, before spikes of fire impaled them.

Vulcan pushed past the quickly falling bodies of his soldiers, grabbing one of them, "What's happening!? Shouldn't the central flame be powering you all?"

"It is, sir! But what can we do with such power when we only have a month's worth of training? Finn's been doing this since he was a child!"

Vulcan slung the soldier back, just before he could've been slashed in half and stood in Finn's path. "Let's go, kid."

A solid punch landed on Finn's face as he fell backwards, "Looks like you're a cut above the rest!"

Fists met fists as the two veterans of battle weaved in between each other's attacks, Vulcan's flaming whip zipped through the air, creating sonic booms as it crackled. Three rapid strikes flew true as it cut through Finn's skin, causing a river of blood to erupt, as the young man cried out in pain. "Not so tough, aren't you!"

Finn laughed as his wounds started to stitch back. "Phoebe really has slipped."

"What're you talking about, kid?"

"She really hired the weakest as a head guard."

Holding out a palm, a blinding white light condensed in Finn's palm before it shot out like an arrow, stopping just millimetres from Vulcan's chest piece, his eyes widened as Finn smirked, twin voices came out from his mouth, "Feel **the** **power** of the _**sun**_."

* * *

—There was the sound of sizzling, as though someone had thrown a burning torch into water.

The attack which surpassed the very definition of power went off and it looked as though the sun had risen on the land, dying everything in Finn's field of view a brilliant white.

The exothermic conflagration generated a rapidly-expanding wave of heat, which greedily consumed everything within its radius.

This hell of a vision lasted only five seconds, but it felt dozens of times longer than that.

Eventually, the brilliant white world disappeared. In the wake of the vanishing pulse of superhot energy was a large circular area—, vastly different from before.

Nothing outside the area of effect was affected. The mountains of molten earth were still flowing, the earth was still strong and firm, and the castle itself was untouched—, an extremely normal world.

In contrast, the area within the circular area was charred black, converted into a dead zone of jaw-dropping proportions.

The awe-inspiring temperatures had consumed all the living beings in the area, leaving only a few carbonized weapons. There were several vitrified areas on the ground which were still emitting smoke.

Standing beyond the bounds of that world which permitted no survivors, Finn felt a dreadful presence washing out from within.

It came from the only person who remained within that area.

Nothing living could have survived that fatal heat.

But a mirthless chuckle could be heard, it sounded raspy and choked but still radiated power.

That strange sound, accompanied by what seemed to be a gnashing of teeth, filtered into Finn's ears.

He turned to look at its source, and saw a point of red amidst a world scorched black.

He saw Vulcan with wisps of smoke trailing off his body armour, and a look on his face which seemed to say, 'not enough gun'. His amber pupils, filled with hostility and bloodlust, focused on Finn's body.

"Finn the Human! That really hurt!"

Vulcan slowly walked forward, his footfalls fracturing the charred ground underneath.

Step by step, he shrank the distance between Finn and himself, the flaming whip in his hand cutting through the air with a _zip_ which indicated that he was still able to fight. They were both right smack in front of each other now.

Yet, Finn did not scramble back. In a tone which called to mind an image of a champion welcoming a challenger, Finn arrogantly taunted Vulcan.

"That was just a meaningless present. Did you like it, candle-boy?"

"Ha! It's been awhile since I sustained damage as grievous as that, if I had been a second late in deploying my flame shield, I'd have lost forty-percent of my body."

Vulcan laughed, and his mirth came from the bottom of his heart. "I know your name, I guess it would be fitting for someone who's about to die to know mine."

Vulcan held out a hand and Finn gripped it firmly, "I am Vulcan, head of the flame elemental guards."

The two did not break eye contact and held on to each other's hand… until.

Moving with a speed which put gales to shame, Vulcan charged, wreathed in bloodlust. The scorched ground exploded beneath his feet with every step he took. Marceline's assaults were swift, but Vulcan's speed was in a class of his own.

For an instant, Finn was grateful that his reflexes had increased, because Vulcan was fast enough that he would lose track of him if he took his eyes off him for a moment.

Trailing laughter behind him, Vulcan continued his charge, aiming a strike of his whip at Finn and swiping forward. The whip charge was originally a technique used by the mounted knights and made with the speed and weight of their mounts behind it. However, Vulcan's strike was made with his extraordinary strength and his awesome speed; easily surpassed that attack.

The word 'one-shot kill' couldn't even begin to describe that assuredly fatal blow, and it tore through the air towards Finn.

However, despite the ever-approaching tip of the whip, Finn remained unmoved.

In a gentle voice, Finn said:

"That's dangerous, you know."

The tender warning he gave Vulcan, as though concerned for his well-being, referred to the countermeasure he had prepared for Vulcan's attack.

As Vulcan attacked, the area around Finn's person superheated itself, which would cause multiple explosions around him to protect himself from attacks. He had set this up beforehand, and had automatically triggered.

The three explosions blew Vulcan's whip and body away.

As Finn saw this, he apologized in an even more mockingly compassionate tone:

"Vulcan, please forgive my late warning. Actually, I was prepared for your pathetic little attempt at my life. Take this apology of mine!" Finn raised a hand and punched a palm forward.

Vulcan was still flying back from the force of the explosion when Finn hurled a black sphere of flames after him. It was a spinning vortex of hyper-intensified fire that could significantly damage a target, even one of Vulcan's level.

At this moment, he stood back up from his downed state and held out an empty hand.

"Amateur."

A vast wall of molten stone emerged from the ground, completely enveloping Vulcan. The sphere of black fire Finn had thrown collided with the wall, causing it to bend, twist, and crumble, but the flaming sphere vanished as well.

Finn clenched his hand, he wasn't dealing with people like Bonnie or Marceline, this Vulcan… was a seasoned warrior. A misstep on his part would spell his demise, this battle wasn't an easy one where he could waste energy on ineffective attacks.

Finn was the challenger in this battle. He was walking a very fine tightrope, and he would fall if he was not careful. He knew this, and Finn wasn't stupid enough to become complacent over a small victory like that.

"Still, you shown me that there's still a huge gap between our raw power."

There was genuine admiration in Vulcan's eyes and his voice. At the same time, Finn could sense the fighting spirit he radiated from his entire body. "But experience? I outclass you in that aspect in every way."

_The real show's about to start_.

If Finn's body could produce sweat before it evaporated, his back would probably be a flowing river by now.

"In any case, I need to keep doing damage until my energy bottoms out."

If he couldn't do that, then Finn would be set on the road to defeat.

* * *

As he calmly considered his plan, Vulcan considered the current situation. A one on one fight, against an unimaginably powerful opponent — and how surprisingly favourable it was for him.

Finn had somehow become a magic caster! He was an incredibly powerful wizard, but that power derived from their internal energy. Once their energy ran out, he would naturally lose their fighting ability. On the other hand, he was a master in physical combat. He could keep fighting as long as he didn't have to heal any major injuries.

Therefore, even if he could not fatally injure Finn, he could still win as long as Finn expended all his energy.

Then, what was the best way for him to fight? It would have to be a drawn-out battle.

Vulcan gripped his flaming whip as he hastily threw a battle plan together.

His eyes glowed as his ability activated to assess how much energy Finn had remaining.

_That's a lot of energy… how did he amass that much?_

Finn had about three times the energy of Vulcan. There was probably nobody else in Ooo who had a energy capacity like that.

Thinking no further, Vulcan doubled his speed as he lashed out with his whip. The soldiers who had regained consciousness looked at the battle between Finn and their leader, Finn was blocking the whip while Vulcan continued his assault.

Vulcan's attacks were too fast for the normal eyes to follow, for every one whip strike that was seen, there were already thirty strikes already being swung.

A strike managed to slip past Finn's guard, and just before it hit him face first, his ability activated.

Black radiance filled the area around Finn, a defensive barrier made of pure fire. While this barrier impeded the user's attacks, it would also completely negate his opponent's attacks.

Through this barrier of fire, Finn saw Vulcan smirking.

"That's right. If you don't attack soon, it will go very badly for you."

Vulcan already knew why Finn seemed to have the upper hand in this battle.

Was it because of his abilities? No.

Was it because of his equipment? No.

Was it because of his preparations? Yes.

Finn came bursting out of the protective dome and they continued their deadly dance. A kick sent Vulcan reeling back as he braced himself.

Vulcan had expected Finn to follow up with some kind of attack against him. His attack came flying over, as though aimed at the place Vulcan would appear.

He seemed calm and collected as always, but Vulcan was quite fascinated by Finn's incredible prowess. These masterful abilities could only have been honed through long experience.

"You seem to be taking this quite easy."

Finn tilted his head in confusion.

"You'll regret underestimating me, human."

Intertwining between Finn's slashes and jabs, Vulcan lashed out with his whip and watched as Finn wrapped an arm around it, his blood giving him extra friction to latch on to it even more firmly. "What's next, Vulcan?"

Vulcan released the fiery whip as he laughed at Finn's ignorance. He didn't throw it like a javelin, but instead it burst from the end of the whip's handle.

A blade shot and pierced into Finn's stomach, causing him to cough blood.

Vulcan jumped back as he pulled a short-sword from his back's sheath. He felt slightly irritated at the notion of losing his primary weapon.

Still, there was no point in being miserly about it. Vulcan's plan was to end the battle in a melee fight. His whip was in the end, a tool to deplete Finn's internal energies.

"I can fight without internal energy, but Finn is finished without it."

Vulcan could fight physically alone, but Finn was fuelled by his internal energy. This was the great disparity between them.

He looked on Finn, who was limited to his absurdly powerful reservoir of power — with a gentle expression in his eyes. One could call them the eyes of a father looking upon his child… or rather, the look of pity which the mighty would bestow upon the weak.

"Well, I guess I should stop lying and tell you a little truth. I was using my ranged abilities to see if you'd take the bait to think that I had somehow become a useless magic lumping wizard."

The flow of blood meant nothing to a fire elemental, but Vulcan could feel his draining from his face. In exchange, a wave of agitation spread through his entire body.

That was not a lie.

Nothing Finn was saying here was a lie.

Finn was standing before him without running away because he was confident of attaining victory.

"Don't lie!"

Vulcan's lips parted and he wailed, the better to vent the emotions welling up inside his chest.

Vulcan was the lion, Finn was the rabbit, he should have been the hunter— no, that was wrong.

This should have been a battle between lions; it was just that Vulcan had treated him as a rabbit—.

The anxious and uneasy Vulcan clutched at her short-sword, intending to finish this battle right away, intending to kill his foe with strike after strike, even if he fought back.

An instant before that, Finn's eyes brightened as his shirt became tighter, showing that his body had increased muscle mass slightly.

A clear, crisp sound rang forth.

Vulcan couldn't help but doubt his eyes.

This was impossible.

His short-sword had bounced off Finn's skin.

If it had been deflected by internal energy, Vulcan would have pressed the attack, because he knew Finn didn't have much of it left. That would simply have been his death throes.

However, Vulcan froze as he beheld the scene before him.

It wasn't any glob-damned magic.

—It was his skin.

From his superior height, Finn looked toward Vulcan.

No, Finn was probably looking down on Vulcan.

Vulcan was angry, of course, but he did not have the energy to spare on that, because a cold voice spoke to him.

"From the start, I was planning to end this battle in melee combat."

The sun was now at its peak, high noon.

Finn laughed as he twisted around Vulcan's futile attacks. He uncurled his fingers. Bright, black flames shot forward again from his fingertips. With devastating precision, he swooped down and impaled Vulcan, nearly slicing the gasping man in two.

Vulcan pulled himself off Finn's hand, desperately reforming the hole in his chest.

His short-sword was swathed in flames and he slashed into the air, sending heated waves of flame towards Finn.

Finn flickered up a flame barrier as the barrage of attacks pounded against him. He laughed, and its maniacal, echoing sound struck fear into even soldiers watching from the sidelines.

_"Not so powerful now, are you, Finn the Human?" the Lich taunted, pulling a slick wire already coated in his blood around Finn's neck. _

_Finn tried to breathe, but found that he couldn't. _

_"Not so powerful?" _

_"Not so powerful?" _

"I'll show you powerful," Finn said, voice lowering into a snarl. Warping energy surrounded him in waves.

In that instant, Vulcan realized that the monster he had taunted was going to kill him. He paused, half in awe of the static blur and lightning that swirled around Finn.

Finn's mouth opened into a devasting wail that carried with it the agony of years of pent up hatred.

It barrelled into Vulcan and everything behind him, instantly destroying buildings and blowing away volcanoes and mountains.

Vulcan could feel his body disintegrating in the incredible attack.

He entire body was starting to fade, she found that that it was hard to speak, perhaps his throat had already been destroyed… Still, there was one thing he had to say.

Head of the Fire Kingdom's guards , Vulcan, marshalled the last reserves of his vitality to give praise:

"...Ah, truly, you are the mightiest of Ooo's warriors."

This was his sincere respect for the strongest opponent that he had ever encountered. The heatwave seemed to burn away his bindings, and though his body could not move, Vulcan felt unimaginably free.

Thus satisfied, Vulcan vanished into a world of white.

* * *

His fatigue was quickly catching up to him as Finn killed off the remaining guards in the castle. The scattered corpses of the Fire Kingdom's royalty littered the hallways, Finn looked at the final guard.

"P-please," cried the guard, eyes wide with fear that shook his whole frame. He knew exactly why Finn had waited to kill him last. "I…I was just following orders!"

A dark sneer curled Finn's lips. "Is that why you forced me to kill behind your queen's back?" He squeezed the flame elemental's neck tighter, delighting in the way his eyes bulged behind his visor. "Is that why you experimented on me for being a human?" He leaned down to whisper to him. "Is that why you had _fun_ with me?"

"P-please," the guard gasped. His hands grabbed onto Finn's arm.

"I _begged_," Finn seethed, eyes narrowing. "I cried out for mercy of any kind. And you showed me no mercy. Why should I show you any?"

The guard's eyes squeezed shut. "I have a family!"

Rage overwhelmed Finn. In a blur, glowing blades of fire shot out from his fingers, and he slashed deep into the guard's stomach. The guard's vocal chords twisted into a retching gasp. His life's blood leaked from his body.

Finn whispered, "I had a family too."

Then he released his hold on the guard, and the body limply fell to the hallway, where it crunched into inhuman angles.

Tears streamed from Finn's red eyes as he laughed. "So much mercy now! Where was it when _I_ needed it?"

He opened his palm. The Fire Kingdom was set ablaze, ironic; Finn thought. Fighting fire with fire wasn't just a saying after all.

Reaching the entrance to Phoebe's bedchambers, he saw Cinnamon Bun standing in front of him, blocking his path to her. "Oh… The new knight stands in my way."

"Finn, don't do this."

"We're way past that point, buddy."

"The you leave me no choice."

Two barrels opened up from Cinnamon Bun's left and right. They whirred to life and exploded with a chorus of flames, crashing into Finn, he stumbled back and strangely enough, he felt himself start to burn up.

"What… is this fire?"

"These two barrels are being powered by the former Flame King himself, it might not be able to kill you, but it'll weaken you enough."

"Coercion and torture, looks like the Fire Kingdom is still doing what it knows best."

Finn stood up, soaking up the flames, "But… **Fire heeds my will alone**."

A darker voice spoke from Finn as he walked through the flames, and grabbed Cinnamon Bun in the centre of his sugary body.

Cinnamon Bun met Finn's eyes with great defiance, even as he choked from Finn clenching his throat tighter. Cinnamon Bun's large hands grabbed at the human's arms to push away, but steel muscle that didn't flinch under the pain of the flames locked the sugary treat in place.

Fear leeched into Cinnamon Bun's eyes. Finn's shoulders, his sides, the right side of his face burned with flames from the Vulcan's whip, but it didn't even affect him.

Finn stared Cinnamon Bun down with manic eyes. "You're pathetic," he mocked softly. "You just don't know when to stop."

Then, with a powerful pivot, Finn threw him to the side. The sugary treat's body slammed against a stone pillar with a sickening thud, sinking down to the marble flooring like a broken rag doll. A trail of syrupy sugar streaked down the pillar and down his nose.

He didn't get up.

Finn sniffed with satisfaction

* * *

She'd expected this.

"Hello, Phoebe."

"Finn."

She was still in her white nighties, watching as Finn's haggard form waltzed through the door. She noticed a very slight limp in his leg as he smirked at her. "Surprised?"

She said nothing, which prompted Finn to trudge to her bed and sit down beside her, skin touching. "You know what I want."

Phoebe hesitated as she looked into his black filled eyes, scanning his new body and eyeing the horns that sat atop his head. She sucked in a breath before taking her crown off her fiery mass off hair, handing it to him with both hands.

"You wouldn't even fight on the frontlines with your soldiers, pathetic. You're a coward."

His hands wrapped powerfully around the crown as it creaked loudly and bent inwards on itself, before shattering into bits and falling out of Finn's hand, landing quietly onto the plush carpet below.

Her head hung forward, so she could hide the tear that slid out without her permission. But he definitely heard the strangled sob that followed it. She felt the familiar warmth radiating from him as he swooped forward, but kept her eyes on the buckles adorning his black boots. She didn't want him to see her crying. Finn, the strong. The hero.

_Her_ hero.

She didn't want him to see her crying.

"Oh, what's wrong…" he mockingly whispered, leaning just next of her, too close.

She blinked, and several more tears pulled free. _Let them do whatever they want,_ she thought.

"Phoebe…"

She let her forehead close the gap between them all at once, resting it against the smooth black fabric over his chest as another sob broke. His chest stopped mid-breath, but she really didn't care if he was uncomfortable with it. Phoebe didn't care if he was a killer, she wanted a friend to cry on, for once in her life.

"Hey.. hey shh," he said softly, but she just pulled her arms tighter about herself and cried, letting some of her weight lean against him.

He rested his hands first on her shoulders, and then draped one arm across them while his other hand snuck up to rest in her hair. "It's okay," he murmured, his chin against the top of her head.

For the life of her, Phoebe couldn't understand why this made her cry harder. "It's n-not okay," she gasped against the brilliant black scales decorating his chest. "It's not."

"Was it because I killed all your citizens?" A wretched smile split his face.

And then, everything was spilling out of her all at once. Everything she thought she was over, that she had buried in a grave and stepped over long ago.

"My b-best friend, that's wha – at happened," she sobbed. "I trus- trusted you Finn… I loved you. You were my first for everything, my first love, my first kiss, my first chance at happiness."

"Big words for someone that betrayed me." Finn's grip on her tightened as his voice dropped to a whisper.

"I feel like I _failed you," _she whispered hoarsely into Finn's shirt. "I'm a terrible g-girlfriend. Glob, I le – et d-down my _best friend."_

"Shh…" He put a finger to Phoebe's lips as he pushed her hair aside, so close that he brushed his lips across hers, breath mingling with hers. "It doesn't matter now, you're nothing… But I'll still have you beside me."

He exhaled and slowly leaned over her, supporting his weight with both arms braced beside her shoulders, one leaning on his elbow and the other locked straight. His jaw opened slightly, revealing his new long tongue. Phoebe tilted her head back a little more, and lifted her hands up to palm his obliques in a gesture of comfort that immediately brightened his eyes to a smoky red. His tongue then easily dove to lick her neck and her voice cracked a quick, wanton moan, which was answered by one from him.

She shuddered at the deep sound coming from him and felt things in her body tighten in response. Grasping his sides more tightly, she bunched the fabric in her hands, but the inability to really feel him grew frustrating. She wanted to feel his skin. The beige of his flesh and the warmth that always emanated from his skin called to something wild within. Before she could question the wisdom of her actions, and while he was avidly licking up her neck to her ear, her fingers started unbuttoning his shirt between them.

His hot, wet tongue slithered along the dip where her neck met her shoulder.

"Stop here, Phoebe, I'll keep you alive for now." A cold glint came from his eyes.

He slammed into her neck with a chop and she flew across the room, crashing into the wall, instantly blacking out.

As he carried Phoebe princess-style back to his abode, Mephisto half-formed and appeared on Finn's shoulder. "**Why did you not kill her, my master?**"

Shrugging, "Don't know, I don't have to answer and it's not your place to question me."

* * *

.

Still feeling a little bummed out by my dog's illness. I will still continue writing this story, so I hope you will all continue to support me by **leaving a heart and follow, please leave a review too. :-)**

Thank you all so much, and I'll see you in the next chapter.


	6. Madness

Something was wrong with him. It was explicitly clear to him now as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. He wasn't able to maintain any sort of stability, physical or emotional. Somewhere along the line the scale had been tipped. The balance of his fragile psyche had been lost. He'd fallen too far into something he knew very little about. After living on the threshold of life and death for so long, he'd inadvertently, unknowingly taken a turn that led him somewhere he didn't want to be. Yet he had no clue as to when he'd meandered down that path.

Something was very wrong.

The accursed mirror reflected his glowing red eyes and lustrous gold hair for one second, then changed to show dull blue eyes and pitch-black hair the next. At one point his eyes were both different colours, and a streak of black ran down the front of his golden hair.

What was happening to him?

His entire body trembled as the transformations overtook him. He gripped the bathroom sink tightly in his hands, gritting his teeth, willing his body to do as he wished. He needed to be human.

_Human_.

But as soon as he managed to become his blue-eyed, gold-haired self, painful shudders ran up his spine and he turned back into his demonic counterpart.

It was as if his body was at war. The demonic half and the human half were both fighting for control, fighting for complete domination.

The same thing had happened to him twice already. Earlier when he was putting Phoebe on his bed, he really hadn't wanted to leave her as he did. He'd had so many things he'd wanted to ask, to talk about.

Then again with Vulcan, he'd felt the same sensation of being on the verge of transforming. Furious and agitated, his powerful emotions had triggered an enormous amount of energy and he'd unknowingly used the intensified wail against Vulcan.

Gasping for breath, Finn closed his eyes to his demonic reflection and tried again to turn into his human counterpart.

Blue eyes. Gold hair. Blue eyes. Gold hair. Human.

He opened his eyes and a strangled cry tore out of his mouth as he saw _Him_ staring back at Finn. The demon in him was winning the struggle. Of course now, when he needed his human half the most. He covered his eyes with his arm and stumbled backwards. His back hit the wall and he slid down to the floor, breathing heavily, fighting back the frustrated scream that was lodged in his throat, squeezing back the angry tears.

Ever since he'd taken Phoebe back to the cabin he'd built in the woods, he'd been feeling off kilter. After so many years of having these human emotions in control, of pushing them back into the deepest, darkest corner of his mind never to see the light of day as he relied solely on anger and hate, he was overwhelmed by the feelings that were now bubbling up within him again.

He was overwhelmed and disconcerted over the hold Phoebe had on him. In just that one evening, something in him had been altered. The floodgates had been opened and all these human emotions assaulted him again. There had been desperation, impatience, concern, and anxiety as he'd watched Phoebe toss and turn restlessly on the bed.

What was he to do if he lost one part of him? Be it demon or human, how would he go on? He needed both. He was both.

Wasn't he?

He brought his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them, and leaned his head back against the wall. Breathing deeply, in and out, he forced himself to calm down. This was not the time to overreact. There was only one question that needed to be answered.

Was losing one half of him really that bad?

The immediate answer that came to mind was yes. It would alter his plans.

But plans could be altered. The conversations he wanted to have with Phoebe would simply have to be postponed until she warmed up to his demonic half. If she ever did. That was the main problem with altering his plans. To Phoebe, Finn was a friend, but his demon was an enemy.

A murderer.

Finn smiled and he didn't know which side of him was smiling.

Still, plans could be altered. So what else would prevent him from being a full demon? Bonnie and Marceline, obviously. But he already dealt with them so, again, not that big of a deal.

But losing his humanity would mean losing everything he had just had with Phoebe. As a demon there was only so much he could do with her, share with her. He couldn't be connected to her in the same way as a human would.

Finn heaved a sigh and rubbed his aching temples. Things rarely ever went his way for some reason. Even so, the situation he found himself in now was surreal. He never would have expected it. Having to choose between two halves of one whole. Essentially having to start his life, all over again and become accustomed to a new way of living. To be forced to lose all that had been his downfall and his greatest strength. Maybe it had been fated to happen. His demonic powers had been the result of an accident after all. Maybe this was a natural occurrence. It was still unfair.

Mephisto's image superimposed itself onto Finn's reflection. "**Are you showing weakness?**"

"Stay out of this. Mephisto." Finn pulled out a sword that changed its shape fluidly. The fourth-dimensional sword, and shifted it until he had it positioned directly at his heart, "**What are you doing!?**"

"This was a mistake, I need my humanity! My emotions back!"

"**No!**" And Finn's world turned black. Mephisto's image pulled itself out of the mirror and into the physical world, threads appeared from his fingers as they attached themselves to Finn's prone form. The threads split into hundreds, then thousands as they entwined themselves into his very fibre of being. "**I will **_**not**_** be denied, human. I have given you free reign for such a long while, but these women have awoken feelings in you that have made you weak. I will make you stronger Finn, I will let you get your revenge. I swear this upon our bond.**"

Layered circles of ancient magic encircled Finn as Mephisto moved his hands with the threads as an extension of his body. It looked as though was a puppet master, "**Be remade and show them hell, my king.**"

* * *

Finn walked out jerkily into where Phoebe had awoken. The curvaceous fire elemental cautiously eyed him as she clutched the satin blanket.

Reality was far better than being shoved in the background. Whenever he blacked out, it was cold. He felt as if he were asleep, with only distant whispers and wisps of a memory not his own to pour through his dreams. He couldn't feel pain or joy. It was as if he were staring into a mirror that reflected a different mirror across the room. To wade through the darkness, it felt like the ocean, took more energy than it used to.

And even now, he could feel that same ocean pressing and storming against him. The waves of Mephisto's power surged in restless anger.

He sighed shakily.

_**Let me take over**_, the ocean of power demanded. _**You can't handle this. I can**__. __**Bonnie and Marceline are gaining power once again**__, __**and look at what they did to you before! You think you can handle that again? **_

Pulling off one of his gloves, Finn stared at the still-puckered white scar that wrapped up his wrist and disappeared underneath his suit. They were the remnants of the claws that drained him and brought him to his knees, seared forever into his skin.

He rubbed his shoulder, which ached something awful. An electric, winding scar lifted up from his skin, and his fingertips shook as his mind's eye remembered its placing. The strike of the whip. "_You were never a hero! Vermillion is mine!"_

He knew, without those scars, without the knowledge of true cruelty, he would never have lost control of himself.

He would have never felt true _hatred_.

A spike of anger lit his eyes red before he shook himself out of it. No, no, he couldn't think like that.

_**You want them to die, don't you? **_

_No!_

If he let his anger get the best of him again…

_**You want them to suffer, don't you? **_

_N-no!_

_**You want revenge, don't you? **_

…_Don't you?_

But it was too late. Mephisto's power, replenished by the spike in his own anger, overwhelmed him.

_**Finn, let me take care of this. You know I can protect us. I can get us revenge. **_

He let him and Finn sank in the hatred _deeply_, smiling as he crawled up the bed, his head just in front of Phoebe's, as she pushed herself back against the wall of the bed. Her hands clenching the bedsheet.

"I…I trusted you!" she shouted, betrayed. Her brown eyes flared with confusion and anger. "I trusted you to tell me the truth!"

"I'll always tell the truth to you, Phoebe," he said, almost comfortingly. It clashed with his mocking eyes, and she felt bile rise in her throat. This was not _Finn_. "You just have to ask me the right question."

"Tell me," she said immediately. She needed confirmation. "Tell me you're not Finn the Human."

Finn's horrible, red eyes levelled with hers. "I'm not anymore," he said honestly, smirking.

"But were you?" she pressed. When he didn't answer, she raised her hand, which burst into a blue sabre of intense plasma. "_Were_ you?"

The human raised an eyebrow. "Yes," he admitted proudly.

The fiery arm shook, and she lowered it, swallowing hard.

"You're not going to hurt me," Finn said in confidence.

He was right.

"No," she lowered her arm. Anger still flared in her eyes. "But you lied to me. About everything. About us, your feelings, the girl you loved wasn't me, it's probably _Marceline_, right? _Ooh_," Phoebe shook in anger, "when you wake up outta this, you and I are gonna have _words_. You hear me?" She cracked her knuckles.

He suddenly moved right before her, nose to nose. "And how are you going to, so called, _wake_ me up?" he whispered, red eyes flaring.

"I'm going to get my boyfriend back," she replied forcefully, eyes narrowed. "Whether he goes by Finn or _not_."

"But I'm both."

"You're neither!" Phoebe shouted back. "You're neither the Finn I remember nor the Finn I accepted! You're a monster!"

When he laughed and spun around her, she quickly backed off. "Get _away_ from me!" She tried to push him away as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her from behind. "The _Glob _are you doing?" She sputtered out half words and fragments of her frustration and anger. "Shouldn't Marceline be the one you're doing this to?"

"I want Marceline dead," he said, nuzzling into her. "I want you alive."

Something in his voice caught her off guard.

"Wha-?"

"You are my obsession," he explained patiently as she continued to struggle against his steel grip. "I love you. I want you with me forever."

Something, like an excited chill, shook his shoulders. "But Marceline," he added, and his voice froze her, "I want her alive for now, so that way she'll provide me with the challenge I need. And once I kill her, there'll be nothing to stop me from enjoying _you_."

He breathed in her scent, and he ran his hand down her robe-clad spine in admiration.

Fully aware that his powers were freezing her in place, Phoebe struggled against his touch, face blushing in embarrassment and anger. Her fingers managed to clench into a fist, and she quickly clenched her hand into a fist and slammed it against his stomach.

His stomach barely bent inwards, and he spun about her in a laugh as she regained total control of her body. "You see? You almost hurt me! Next to Marceline, you're the only person worth my time!"

Desperately attempting to control her flushed expression, she frowned angrily. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but know that I'm gonna stop you!"

"Come on, Phoebe," he enticed her slowly. "You _do_ know me. You know me better than anyone else. All those times when we were together. Sure, Finn was in control, but sometimes he slipped, and it was _me_. And you know it."

The Flame Princess growled. "Finn never slipped."

"Never?" Finn questioned. He spiralled to her shoulder, "I believe I left a scar right here."

She gasped as his cold fingers permeated her heat, and she back stepped. "What the lumps?" she snapped. "Don't you understand personal space?" Her hand spread over her shoulder, right where her scar rested.

"That was me," Finn said, satisfied in his reminiscing. "I put that there on you."

"It was an accident during our dungeon hunts," Phoebe replied firmly. "Finn apologized for weeks."

"And I enjoyed your pain for weeks," the human willingly admitted. "Although, if I ever killed you, I'd feel very sad. I never want you to die, Phoebe."

Her face twisted. "What am I, a freaking toy? The _heck _sort of answer is that? You don't want me to die, but you want to hurt me? You're sick, Finn."

"I've been sick," he replied easily, "for a very long time." He smiled a cruel smile.

At that, Phoebe realized she wasn't getting anywhere. Her frustration mounted. Finn was more than just a harm to himself. "Look, obviously you don't care about anything but your stupid 'revenge.' But, if Finn _is _in there,"

Phoebe said, voice halting in hesitation, "then… tell him that we all need him right now, because we can't afford this game anymore." She turned around to face the window, away from him.

Suddenly, Finn's red eyes darkened in fury. "No!" He rounded back on her. "Finn won't help you! I won't let him!"

Phoebe, surprised at his outburst, had no time to dodge his attack. He smacked away her hands and slammed her against the wall, his claws digging into her shoulders as he held her fast. "You," he hissed at her, the irises of his eyes twisting in a form of accusation and hatred, "have no idea what _he_ suffered in the name of helping others!"

His dark gaze stared at her bare neck, and he lightly ran his fingers down her jugular vein. "To protect innocent people," he whispered. "More innocent than you."

She swallowed hard as his fingernails lightly pricked her skin, and she wondered if he would simply choke her right then in there. "No one," he whispered, "saw that _**he**_ just wanted to help, to protect!"

"Who are you," she whispered in a scoff, defiant even under the threat of death. "Why do you think people never believed Finn was good?"

"No one," he admitted, red eyes flickering in uncertainty, "appreciated him for what he did. Instead, the Bubblegum Princess tortured us and made us feel hate. And you want him to protect those people? Protect Ooo from what it _deserves_?"

"Mephisto will protect this boy and make his revenge reality."

"You can't just go out and murder people, Mephisto," Phoebe retaliated, wincing as she struggled to pull away from his claws. "Justice doesn't work that way!"

"Give me back Finn!" She shouted back, biting back angry tears.

"He gave me full rein to bring the pain he received back to those ten-fold."

"Finn would never believe that," Phoebe whispered harshly. "Finn believed in forgiveness. He forgave me for everything, and I hurt him! I know Finn would fight, but he'd never kill if he didn't have to!"

"Finn is no longer in control. _I_ am," he snarled at her.

"He's the one who loves and forgives. I am the one who protects and destroys, and _I_ will decide when I am needed and when I am not." He roughly released her, and Phoebe glared at him. The two sat silently at an impasse.

Phoebe wanted to beat him until he got sense back. This was ridiculous. She narrowed her eyes at the face of Finn the Human, who was no longer Finn nor the hero. Her heart ached with the fierce loyalty and the need to see her boyfriend back in his right mind.

The way Finn had talked with her, her elemental matrix was out of whack…

She wanted that back. She wanted his true spirit back.

But Finn had other plans, he sunk onto the bed and pulled Phoebe onto him, now she was straddling him as he face blushed furiously.

"Let me show you what I mean," Finn whispered, and tendrils of his power intertwined into the back of her neck before she could move.

She couldn't fight it, and her brown eyes widened as visions poured out in front of her. The edges of her sight blurred into fantastic, raven black. Her heart pounded with the strain…

_Finn stood above the ruined kingdoms and fauna of Ooo. The sky shimmered between blue and Hell crimson, and twisted doorways spun in the clouds. Beasts, demons and residents of Ooo bowed alike. _

_Below him stood the final resistance against him, and Finn's dark, twisted eyes locked in on the Candy Kingdom's shack of headquarters. _

_Finn spiralled up into the air, his clawed fingertips opening to reveal waves of power. They tunnelled into a large tsunami and shot down to engulf the building in a deafening blast of black lighted flames. _

_As the citizens cowered, a fire elemental in a beautiful and darkly dress materialized from the night. Blood trailed from her dark lips, and the glow that emitted from her body matched Finn's. She clapped lightly, and he turned around. Suddenly, the evil expression upon his face twisted into great, possessive love, and his eyes burned with lust. _

_He flew to her and tightly pulled her to him. "For you," he whispered lovingly, his hands settling on her waist. _

_Her fingers trailed down his temples, brushing back his locks and stroking down to his neck, where hints of his jagged scars stood against his shirt. "Now we can __**live**__," she whispered as desire darkened her gaze, "without anyone to get in our way." _

_The shivering residents and demons below screamed in pain and fear as Phoebe suddenly turned and swiped her hands in the air. A vortex of flames appeared and swallowed them. _

_The dull thud of dead bodies and Phoebe's sigh of satisfaction echoed. Blood and viscera splattered the ground. _

Suddenly, the vision blacked out, and Finn's power flew out of Phoebe. She gasped and nearly collapsed as her foundation fell out from under her. Her legs felt like jelly. The bed felt like it was tilted sideways.

Nausea.

"I want this," Finn whispered, and it sent chills down her spine. "And if you get in my way, I _will _make you regret it." He turned red eyes in warning.

Phoebe's wide eyes blinked, and she couldn't catch her breath. The images of death-of innocent people!-stormed through her and settled deep in her uncertain soul. The dark power that tainted her clung to her own body. The blood and flesh felt as if it slipped from her own fingers.

Her hands trembled. For the first time, Phoebe truly was afraid. Everything felt real. Finn's vision was a prophecy of the future.

She stumbled backwards and landed roughly on the floor, her hands groping for the door handle. He didn't stop her. She slammed the door shut, and it echoed like a shout, she ran and curled onto the living room's sofa.

In her fear, Finn decided as he stared at the closed door, she was actually quite beautiful. He smirked at the thought and then pondered how beautiful the whole world would be under his reign.

* * *

The minute the door slammed shut and Phoebe had made it to the sofa, she closed her eyes. Her fingers still shook with the reality of Finn's power and vision. Her stomach turned uneasily. Her disillusioned mind raced.

"No way in hell I'm letting you outta here," she whispered. "I am not gonna let you become some terrorist and destroy who you really are."

Then, she closed her eyes, and it surprised her to feel tears slid down her face.

_What have you __become__? _

Finn was gone. This wasn't him. She'd failed him. Finn the Human was gone. She'd failed him too.

"I've gotta set things _right_."

But, in the face of depravity, she had no idea how, without destroying him. And her face still burned with the way his gloved fingertips had trailed down her spine…

* * *

.

Any questions? Any suggestions? **Write a review, please!**

**Leave a heart and follow**. And I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	7. Parabellum

**A/N:** Line breaks are broken on mobile, please use PC if you'd like to see the line breaks! Thank you.

* * *

Flying through the cold winds and snow-capped mountains of the Ice Kingdom, Marceline held the chess piece close to her as she flew even faster. Her injuries from Finn were still pretty fresh.

Soon, the ice spires came into view as she zoomed in towards the central one. It had a triangular opening and she could hear the quacking of penguins coming from within.

Gingerly floating in, she saw the Ice King clumsily keying the ice piano he had in the corner, humming to himself happily. "Simon?"

"Marceline?" His happy features quickly turned into a pout as he stopped mid-hug, "Are you here to save Slime Princess on Finn and Jake's behalf?"

She turned to the usual ice cage and saw said princess sitting inside, looking quite bored if Marceline was being honest with herself. "Uh, you—."

"I'll be fine, I can just slide out anyways…" The slime further proved this by stretching a limb outside the bars in a comical way as she shrugged her little gelatinous body.

"Oh… okay."

Marceline brought Ice King to his library and sat him down, bringing out the chess piece and tossing it to him, "You know what this is?"

"…A chess piece? You came here to play chess with me?" He examined it in his hands before Marceline took it away and walked towards the central power station of Ice King's home. It was where she used her old Hambo to bring Betty into this world.

Putting the chess piece onto the central podium, she jumped onto the bicycle and started peddling as hard as she could, generating as much power as she could into the little plastic chess piece.

"S-Simon! Hit that thing with your ice energy!" She panted as she pedaled.

"You got it!" His pale hands swirled with cerulean energy and it barreled forward into the chess piece. Marceline's eyes went wide, the glob-damned thing was _absorbing_ everything! "C'mon!"

The bicycle's chained snapped as the podium chipped and cracked, before exploding into hundreds of pieces, the sharp shards of ice flew everywhere in the blast, and Ice King jumped from his position to wrap himself around Marceline, an attempt to shield her from the flying shrapnel.

But nothing ever hit the both of them, as Ice King stood and Marceline heaved herself up, legs still wobbly from exertion. The ice shrapnel were all suspended mid-flight, as though someone had pushed the pause button on a television remote.

Sitting where the podium would be, was a veiled woman wearing a robe of pure white. A steel chest-plate sat snugly around her and adorned her wrists were matching steel gauntlets. But the most eye-catching area of herself, were the six great wings sitting gently behind her.

They were a sure-fire sign of _divinity_.

"W-who, what are you?" Marceline cautiously stepped forward, until she was within arm's reach of the being.

The being reached out a hand and pushed a stray hair from Marceline's view, her face still obscured by the veil.

"I am… Auriel, archangel of Hope. It is through me that the power of hope flows into the fabric of creation. My eternal light illuminates even the darkest souls. Seeking harmony in all things, I am a mediator, a counsellor, and when the need arises, a fearless warrior."

"Why are you here?"

Auriel was now behind Marceline, "When did you—?"

But Auriel didn't lose beat and continued speaking as she made her way to the Ice King, "Your companion, Finn of Humans, called out to me in his darkest hour. I seek to aid him escape the clutches of my brother, Mephisto."

Putting a hand to Ice King's face, she stroked it slowly, "So much madness in such a gentle soul. Take heart, my friends. Faith cannot be lost. Only abandoned."

A soft light emanated from her hands as the cracks in the crown sewed itself together, and Auriel's wings twitched slightly. "There we go."

"What did you do?" Marceline walked up and stood next to the dazed looking ice monarch, who's eyes looked clearer than they ever did in the past few hundred years.

"Find me when the two of you have… reacquainted." And with that, Auriel vanished, leaving nothing but a single white feather that glowed faintly.

"Weirdo…"

"Now, now, Marceline; it isn't good to talk behind others backs. I thought you better than that."

"…Simon?"

The normal looking Simon Petrikov stood aloofly, still cloaked in the large robes of the former madman, but had returned into his usual lanky frame and normal coloured skin, though the crown still sat on his head. "It's me."

And she pounced on him, enveloping him in the tightest hug she could muster without her wounds reopening. Simon laughed heartily as they both fell back in the ice chair. Tears dripping into Marceline's hair, his own tears; unbidden.

* * *

"So, uh...what colour thread?"

Marceline had her eyes screwed tightly shut, so she couldn't see Simon's deadpanned stare. "What?"

"You know, what colour—" Marceline flinches as Simon pushes the needle through her skin again.

"—are you using?"

They don't have anything to numb the pain. Simon doesn't know how she's taking it. Heck, he doesn't know how _he's _taking it. It was because they hadn't been able to have a decent conversation with each other for such a long time, was the main reason he let Marceline persuade him to not go to the nearest doctor in the Candy Kingdom.

"I don't see how it matters." Simon carefully pulls the thread tight, drawing the jagged edges of the wound together. It has to hurt like hell, but Marceline just goes on talking.

"I wanna know if it matches my—" Another stitch. Another sharp intake of breath; if she clenches her teeth any tighter, they'll crack. "—my eyes."

Simon chuckles despite himself; it comes out shaky and way too unmanly.

He coughs to try to cover it up, and Marceline's mouth quirks up in a smirk. He shakes his head and lets his eyes fall back to his work. He has to be careful. The needle's already slippery and red in his hands.

"How come _you're_ the one making _me _laugh?"

"You're doing the hard part right now. I just have to hold still. Besides—" Stitch, hiss, pull. "Distractions are good."

Simon can't see the wound anymore; too much of the viscous red fluid has oozed out across the skin. He snatches up his discarded blue cloak and wipes it away.

For the first time in a long time, he was glad to have put a few extra brown suits somewhere in this icy home of his. It was as though he was out a fog and could see everything in dizzying clarity again.

The cloak's already ruined, spotted with red and that— that had been...

He gulps. Distraction. Right.

"Did I ever tell you why I started sewing?"

It makes it easier that it's red. Easier for Simon, at least. After all the time he's spent in the post-mushroom wars and fighting ghouls, he's used to being covered in blood. Simon can even half-pretend it isn't blood. Then he sees Marceline's muscles twitch through the gaping skin, and he's reminded.

"So you could make your own clothes and be prettier than all the other boys?"

Nausea twists in his gut. He pushes it aside, making yet another careful stitch. "Betty made me learn it."

"Betty did?"

"I always tore clothes when I was working in the lab with so many tools, so she sat me down and made me embroider for an hour every day. Said I needed more hand-eye coordination."

It was a big help once he got into technology; Simon still credits his ability to handle tiny little screws to the hours of poking his big clumsy fingers full of needle holes.

"Turns out sewing is good for a lot of things. Patience, accuracy, an artistic eye. Also patching up the occasional vampire."

"Which is why I leave it to you. My—" Marceline flinches. "My sewing is terrible."

He can suddenly picture Marceline, twisting around as she tries to pull together her own skin, hands slipping through the red ooze that's currently chilling his fingertips. That's not even funny as a joke. "I don't know whether you're brave or just stupid."

"And can't you regenerate? I remember when you fell down and cut yourself on a loose debris, you healed up in minutes when you were a kid."

A hint of defiance leaks into her voice. "That was a rock, Simon. Cuts from my mega-evil-friend-turned-fire-demon, don't heal as easily. But I made sure to give him the lumping beat down of a lifetime, ow—!" She squeaks as she accidentally pulls a stitch.

"Yeah, you got him. But not before he got you." Simon chuckles.

She gives the barest hint of a shrug. "Hazards of the job."

Simon yanks too hard and the thread comes right out of the needle. "What _made _it so hazardous was you flying off without any regard for your own health!"

"Did you want me to let Finn destroy the Candy Kingdom and kill Bonnie?"

"Maybe! I'm supposed to back you up, Marcy. If I had been there… if I hadn't gotten madness from this stupid crown..."

Simon's hands won't steady, no matter how much he glares at them. "You shouldn't have gone alone," he growls.

Marceline's eyes open and she looks at Simon. The inhumane look in this form lends them an eerie, watchful glow; he feels like she's staring right through him, "Does that really matter now?"

The former ice monarch gapes at her, torn between arguing the point and stalking out of the room and wreaking misplaced vengeance on penguins.

She could have… Just thinking about it makes him furious.

Then Simon's brain catches up and he realizes she's getting even paler. Her skin's almost a fluorescent white. Beads of sweat hover just above her skin. Her gaze is angry, but full of exhaustion, ringed by dark circles and hazy with pain.

He clenches his hands for a half moment more, then picks up the cloak and gently wiped away the oozing blood. Re-thread the needle. Tug the stitch tight. Plunge it through the next fold of skin.

"Sorry," he mutters half-heartedly.

The eyes slide shut, and she prods his shoulder with a finger. "Colour," Marceline says firmly. "I demand to know." No sign of the earlier anger; maybe because she knows deep down that Simon's right. He decides to let it slide, for now.

"Blue," Simon confesses. "Purple would match, but then I wouldn't be able to see what I was doing, and I have red, which I know that's your favourite colour, but it would disappear in the— in the blood when you started bleeding—"

Marceline's shaking.

"Marcy?" Panic slices through Simon as the needle yanks from his hands— he _knew _this was a bad idea, he shouldn't have let Marceline convince him— now she's—

"You're killing me—" Marceline gasps out. "I can't believe you— put so much _effort_—"

With a rush of relief Simon realizes she's laughing. "You actually thought it through—,"

He scratches the back of his head and grins weakly. "Silly, I guess."

"Ow, owowow, no more." Tears stream out of Marceline's eyes and she curls up on Simon's side as laughter turns to real pain.

Her fingers claw at the edge of the bed and Simon can see the tendons in her neck as she fights it. With painful slowness, she stills herself somewhat.

"Three more," He says quickly. "Three more and we'll be done."

Marceline grips the upholstery and nods. "Just do it."

In out, in out. Simon's moving faster now, and his thumb stings from more than one jab of the needle. A few spots of blood mingle. He winces and hopes that won't make him sick later. Marceline glares at the ceiling unseeing; the stink of melted vinyl wafts up from the bed where her fingers have dug into the fabric.

He pulls the last knot tight.

"There— now— now just let me—" He's stammering as he fumbles through the first aid kit spilled open on the icy floor.

Simon rips open several packages of gauze and presses them over the wound. Marceline's hand moves up to put pressure on it without a word. He's done this before. This is _routine_, for him, in fact— Simon shoves away that thought and grabs a roll of gauze.

She's already pushing herself into a sitting position. Her arm buckles and she nearly falls on top of Simon— he catches her by the shoulder, which is icy cold and slick with sweat.

Cold is _good_, Simon reminds himself. Vampires ought to be cold.

She leans on his shoulder as Simon wraps the gauze around her middle, as tightly as he can manage. Every ragged breath and wince sounds close in his ear. Marceline presses her forehead into his neck. It feels like an icepack and sends shivers down his spine.

Simon's tied off the gauze. Until he gets Marceline back home, this is all he can do.

Marceline doesn't seem to notice that he's stopped. Her entire body is rigid, as if she's holding her breath. Simon puts an arm around her shoulders; in this position he's nearly holding her in his arms.

It feels weird, yet familiar, as if Marceline were five again.

"It's okay, now, Marcy," he tells her. "You can let it go."

She shudders and groans.

"You okay?"

"Just _great,_" she moans.

Simon could have cried with relief. Instead he pats her gently on the back, then helps her lie across the bed. There's red dotting the bandage already, but it stays firm.

She shivers. Simon pulls a blanket from a drawer under the bed and throws it over her, tucking it around her legs and shoulders.

"Mmm…" She's still conscious, just barely. "Dad?"

Simon lets her hand pause on his chest, resting lightly, relishing the soft rise and fall as she lives and breathes. "Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're here."

Simon ruffles her sweat-damp hair. He can't help the stupid grin on his face, and how his chest swells with pride. "Me too, buddy."

* * *

Two days have passed, and Marceline's injuries had somewhat healed to the extent she could move freely without any pain. Though the occasional dull ache still remained.

"Auriel?"

"In here." Her ever-calm voice sounded out from the library. "You mortals, always cataloguing the past! And never looking forward to the ever-present…"

Simon and Marceline both sat down in front of her, waiting expectantly. But when a long silence overcame them all, Marceline voiced her discomfort with a, "So… what do we do?"

"Oh," Auriel raised her armored hand to her veil, "Were you perhaps waiting for me to give you a solution to your problems? Because, I do not have one."

"What!?"

"I can only give you a story and a suggestion with how to approach this situation."

Simon pulled Marceline down and shushed her, "Yes, please, continue with this story."

"Very well. This story predated your planet eons ago."

"_You're too late!" Mephisto laughed, his scaly clawed hands gripped a sleek-black axe that opened up at where the blade should be, sparking and cracking red energy shifted into an axe head. "The Gate has been prepared, and the time of our final victory is at hand. Let the way to Hell be opened!"_

"_You are a seething monstrosity. Do not interfere with my task." Auriel stood with her wings splayed at all sides, the normally soft feathers were now heightened and sharpened to a deadly degree. A blade was tightly gripped in her hands._

"_You cannot stop me anymore, Auriel… I have attained true immortality, even if you'd managed to slay me here, I will always return." _

_Her sword clashed with his axe as they faced off. "Your words seep with poison and lies."_

"_You know it to be true, archangel." The axe slashed into her wings and she flew unbalanced, crashing into a nearby tree, the foliage around her blooming to life unexpectedly. Her powers were seeping out of her too quickly, if she didn't turn the tide of battle—, move!_

_The axe barely missed her head, "Where I am, is Hell. And you are in the middle of it, sweet Auriel."_

_And a moment later, one of his horns flew from his head and landed in the dirt, he glared at Auriel, feeling about where his horn used to be. She mockingly brandish her sword against her wings, "What are you looking at? Do I have something on my face? Oh. No. Of course not."_

_They soared through the air, flashes of red and white blossomed in the air, "Hope shines upon all creatures, even ones as undeserving as you."_

_As they both crashed towards the earth, the dust cleared and Mephisto coughed up putrid blood and sneered at her, his laughter chilled her to the core and shook the world itself._

"_And the Evil that was once vanquished shall rise anew. Wrapped in the guise of man, shall he walk amongst the innocent, and Terror shall consume they that dwell upon the Earth. The skies shall rain fire, and the seas will become as blood. The righteous shall fall before the wicked, and all of Creation shall tremble before the burning standards of Hell!"_

_His eyes became milky with death and Auriel closed his eyes with her hands, "The wages of sin is death, and your debt is now paid."_

"Wrapped in the guise of man… rise anew? He's talking about Finn!"

"That is right, child of night. Your friend has become his new vessel, and without any intervention, your world will die."

Auriel floated to the window that lead out towards the Ice Kingdom, "So, what do we do?"

"The boy—,"

"Finn." Marceline interrupted.

"Apologies, Finn… Is currently amassing an army by opening the Gate that I had sealed eons ago, you must be ready to fight against a horde of eldritch abominations."

"Will you be helping us?"

"In the face of adversity, hope's light shines the brightest. I will be there for you."

She faced them both and put her hands on their shoulders, wings flapping powerfully as her legs braced for take-off, "Take heart, my friends. Faith cannot be lost, only abandoned. Never forget, that hope is not passive. It is easily confused with inactive desire. No, true hope is a blessing. A glorious harmony that is granted through the result of one's deeds."

And she was gone with a gust of wind, leaving yet another white glowing feather in her wake.

"So, what do we do now?"

"Prepare."

Simon pushed the crown down on his head, to let it sit firmly. "…For?"

Marceline's eyes darkened, "War."

* * *

The walls to the Nightosphere screeched as Finn stepped out. He breathed in the sulfuric air and released a happy breath, "Come out and play, Hunson!"

Hunson Abadeer revealed himself as he stepped out from the shadows, "Finn?" His eyes shifted and his pupils dilated to let him see clearly, and peer beyond the human body.

"Mephisto? Is that you?" Walking closer, he put a hand on Finn's body and smiled, "Old friend… Is it finally time?"

Nodding, Finn took out a sword and pointed it towards Hunson, who only looked confused, "Did you forget that I'm deathless? Not even you could kill me, Mephisto."

"I'm not trying to kill you, just seeing if you've become rusty over the eons. How about a sparring match?"

"I'm game." Hunson threw his sandwich away and got into his casual battle stance of standing idly by.

Finn exhaled slowly and lowered his stance, returning his sword to its sheath.

He was preparing for a draw cut.

His breaths became long and shallow.

He focused his mind into a single point, and in the moment where it was fully concentrated, his awareness rebounded, expanding back outward. His perceptions were on a level where he was fully aware of everything around him; sounds, the air, and other sensory phenomena.

All living things died when weapons struck their vitals. Thus, all one needed to do was master techniques which could accurately strike said vitals.

Rather than learn a broad range of techniques, he had focused on one single goal. His goal was to strike faster than his opponent, to accurately deliver a single, fatal blow.

"Are you done preparing yet?"

As Hunson looked at Finn, who stayed silent and did nothing but breathe, Hunson shrugged in boredom.

"I'm ready to make my move, so if you have any last words, feel free to say them."

_Silence._

"—Then let the trampling begin."

Hunson strode forward with that cheerful pronouncement.

_As carefree as he was during the great wars. You haven't changed, old friend._

Finn did not say that. He felt that doing so would break his concentration and waste his effort.

Hunson's steps were unguarded, seemingly defenceless, as dainty and casual as if he were heading for a picnic.

This was not the way a warrior moved. Finn fought the urge to grin.

He felt he was foolish, but there was no way he would go easy on him.

Finn's face was impassive, but he was laughing internally.

He laughed at his opponent's leisurely approach; perhaps he did not know that Hunson was climbing the stairs to the chopping block.

Three more steps, two more steps.

...One more step.

And then—

—_Your head is mine!_

With that mental declaration, Finn struck with all his might.

"Hah!"

He expelled a short, forceful breath.

His blade cleared his sheath, slicing through the air at Hunson.

There was a single word to describe the speed of this movement— lightning. By the time one saw it, one's head would have fallen, so quickly did it take place. After practicing millions of times, it was truly a divine flash.

_I win._

As Finn thought that—.

—He stared in shock.

The blow had missed. The strike into which he had poured his entire being had been evaded.

If that had happened, Finn might have been able to admit that he had met an unimaginably powerful opponent.

However—,

Hunson had caught it with his fingertips.

He had caught Finn's lightning-fast strike.

In addition, he held his blade gently, like one would the wings of a butterfly.

Finn could not help but laugh heavily, as he felt the air seem to freeze around him.

"...Im-Impossible..."

Those nearly-inaudible words accompanied each gasp he made.

Finn struggled desperately to rein in the tremors within him, as the scene before his eyes utterly defied his expectations. However, it was an undeniable fact that there were two of Hunson's ivory fingers upon the body of his blade— his thumb and his forefinger.

"Well, you haven't changed in the slightest." Finn put the blade down and half his face changed into the hellish form of Mephisto. Which made Hunson chuckle,

"And you look as ugly as ever."

Mephisto sighed, "You always gave me the headache of two lifetimes. Now…" He struck!

As a crisp ringing filled the air, Finn once more saw an unbelievable sight.

Hunson had swiftly flicked the nail of his left little finger— roughly two centimetres long— with blinding speed. In addition, Hunson didn't seem to be using any strength at all; the rest of his hand was balled up into a fist, leaving only the little finger sticking out; and it was slightly bent.

A roar issued from Finn's throat. No, it was not a roar, but laughter of friends sparring.

Horizontal slash— parried.

Diagonal slash— parried.

Frontal slash— parried.

Diagonal cut— parried.

Vertical cut— parried.

Horizontal cut— parried.

No matter the angle, no matter the direction in which he made his attacks, all of them were deflected.

"You're a monster, you haven't lost your touch, Abadeer."

"You humour me, if you were in your true form, I'd have to use _two_ fingers!"

Finn shook his head and ignored the obvious jab, "Now, care to tell me why you're in my realm?"

"Well, I need someone to lead the armies to Ooo, with so many souls being killed off, I'd thought I want my general to be you."

Hunson shook with barely contained bloodlust and excitement, "Oh? How generous!"

He led Finn into his home and they both chuckled to themselves, "Ah," Finn stopped midway, "I cannot stay here for too long, I have a little pet at home I have to look after."

"Understandable, old friend, I will come to you within three days."

Thanking Hunson, Finn leapt through the air and back into his abode, where Phoebe was chained to a chair, her food in front of her still untouched from the morning.

Finn's eyes whorled from blood red to the deepest blue and he gasped when he saw Phoebe.

"Flame Princess!" He ran to her, and she looked at him, face still in the process of drying her tears.

"F-Finn?" Was he finally back?

"Phoebe..." Finn's face morphed into one of anguish and agony as he looked at her form, bruised and her flame was a weak amber. His shaking hand came to cup her cheek and she leaned into his hand.

"Phoebe..." He said once again, and she looked into his eyes. "Finn, I—!"

They were scarlet again.

"You were always so naive." Finn laughed.

* * *

.

We're finally getting to the climax of things! Before everything builds up, **please write a review if you any advice or things you'd like to see! Or if I have anything to improve on!**

**Please leave a heart and follow!**

I'll see you in the next chapter!


	8. Asunder

**A/N:** Line checks still broken, use PC to see them! **Leave a heart and follow, write a review! It only takes two minutes! :-)**

* * *

Phoebe's voice was little more than a scratchy whisper after all the times she'd yelled at Finn— no, the person using Finn's body— standing impassively in the corner of the room.

Her wrists and ankles were raw and bleeding. Her arms were steadily becoming numb. Her head was pounding, a thundering racket in her ears. It hurt to keep her eyes open, so she squeezed them closed. If she looked around the room anyway, her vision would just be a dull haze. Her stubbornness to eat the food and water in front of her was taking its toll.

If she gave in to the dizziness, if she let herself sink slowly into unconsciousness, there was no telling what Finn would do to her. He watched her like a vulture, just waiting for the opportune moment to swoop down and devour his prey. She refused to give him that luxury.

Her stomach made a loud, rumbling noise. She cringed and hunched over as far as she was able. She'd known how painful it was to be on an empty stomach, but never actually experienced it for herself. It was terrible feeling, like her stomach was beginning to gnaw at itself in desperation. She felt so weak. If it weren't for the table holding her up, she would've collapsed on the floor. How long had she been sitting here? It felt like it had been days. But it couldn't have been more than a few hours. It was probably night time. Or maybe it was past midnight.

Finn sighed and moved to sit next to her, eyeing the food up and down with his hellish eyes. They had an eerie red glow in the darkness, barely lit by the moon's light and her weak glow. "Why won't you eat? I dived into the child's memories to find your favourite foods." His voice was thinned and obviously running out of patience.

"It's got to be poisoned," she frowned, glaring up at him. "I'm not an idiot."

Finn sighed and popped one of the berries on the tray into his mouth. "I have no reason to kill you," he said while chewing. "And I need you alive anyway. Haven't you seen the little vision? This boy loves you, you will _instigate_ this world's end."

He lifted the tray closer to her. She turned her face away, but her eyes remained glued to it. He took note of it and smiled again, cordial, as if he was the epitome of a gentleman. "Apparently you eat steak grilled to a medium, so I hope this is to your liking." Venom dripped with his honeyed words.

Almost childishly, Phoebe stuck her tongue out at him and pouted, comical; with all her bruises.

Two shadowy figures trudged their way out of Finn's shadow with a flick of his wrist. "The food, bring it closer to me, if you please."

They returned moments later, the plates were moved closer to him and they vanished back into his shadow. "If you're not going to eat, then I am," he told her. His glowing red eyes were locked on hers as he bit into the bread. He was doing that on purpose, a snake tempting her with her desires.

She licked her lips again, watching him try a little bit of everything on the tray with his eyes still fixed on hers. If she said she wanted to eat, he would have to release her. She could clear her mind, gather her strength, try to come up with some way to escape on her own. Just being able to move would be a welcome change.

But, she wouldn't give in. Finn licked a raspberry and crashed it into her mouth, it lodged itself into her throat and she swallowed harshly, choking back coughs.

He smiled arrogantly and pleased at his efforts, pushing the plates of food in front of her again, breaking the chains at her hands which would allow her to eat properly. But the moment her hands were free, she weakly swiped the glass of the table and it shattered onto the floor, a show of her defiance. Her fingers folded and she flipped him the bird.

"You!" Finn jumped to his feet in an instant, grabbing a fistful of her fiery hair and bunched it tightly, his patience had finally run out.

"Are!" Finn slammed her head into the plate of steak on the table.

"Insufferable!" Lift. Slam.

"I don't know." Slam. Lift. Slam.

"What he sees in you!" Two more smashes and the table cracked underneath her head, sending her tumbling to the floor in a mix of heated blood and a mess of food and porcelain.

Finn's eyes twitched as he watched her broken form and sighed, "Damn my temper…" He walked to the window and watched the clouds overhead with morbid curiosity.

* * *

Pain. Excruciating pain. Her head had such a massive headache, so piercing and loud, she felt like her ears were bleeding profusely and that her jaw was on the verge of splitting apart.

Every second Phoebe thought she'd slipped into the dark one-way tunnel to life's end, another stinging, blazing, agonizing wound would jolt her back into reality. Like being stoned to death, only a hundred times worse. Though she tried to cling to memories of Finn— the feel of her lips on his, the touch of her hand in his hair, his warm skin, his flushed and embarrassed expression, her stifled laughter— they fluttered from place to place, fleeting, never to be tied down.

All she could hope for was death. The final strike. The last gasping breath. The bleak nothingness awaiting her with open arms as the light was stolen from her eyes, leaving only an empty corpse in her place before even that too faded away.

It would be like she had never existed.

But Finn, trapped all alone inside his own body, what was awaiting him? Endless torture by watching this demon kill everything and everyone he loved.

She wouldn't let that happen. He belonged to her. He was _her_ Finn. No one else could lay a hand on him, but her. She'd kill all who did.

Phoebe gritted her teeth, clenching her jaw together so tightly that it ached. She swallowed back her screams, slowly forced her eyes open and stared out into Finn's back. He was still facing away from her.

Phoebe's body was weak. She could barely move, let alone think. But she forced herself to concentrate. She forced her arm to move, little by little.

Gathering everything she had left, she torched him and watched as he cried out in surprise. His form crashing out the window and hearing his body thud onto the grassy plains below, his shouts of anger ringing clear in her ears.

She dropped her arms. Phoebe simply couldn't hold them up any longer. Her body felt so heavy. Her vision kept fading in and out. It was amazing she was even still conscious.

Liquid magma oozed from her open wounds. Her skin burned, unironically. Her eyes stung. Her head was pounding. Her throat was hoarse. Her breathing was ragged.

The stovetop nearest to her exploded in flames as it shifted and formed into a fire elemental. Her eyes fought to keep themselves open as she barely made out the person, smiling widely. "Flint?"

"Hey sis, am I late to the party?" Flint hooped a hand around Phoebe, and they watched Finn jump through the window, seething.

"Don't touch her!" He drew his blade and started walking towards them, which only made Flint laugh, "What's so funny, candle-man? It won't be when you're in half."

"It's funny. Funny you think you're gonna be able to touch her ever again." They were both being vacuumed back into the stove-top, which made both Phoebe and Finn cry out in sadness and anger.

"Finn! N-no, stop! I can't leave him! He needs my help!" Flint shook his head in disbelief,

"You're insane! I'm bringing back to the Fire Kingdom's stronghold to have you healed!"

"Don't leave!"

Time slowed as they looked on at each other's eyes, Phoebe noted that in that moment his eyes had become polychromatic, they looked really nice… Maybe she'd take a look when all this was over, Glob, she was so tired.

At the end of everything, Finn trembled as he clutched his blade, shouting into the empty house of his.

Hunson appeared through a tear in reality a few hours later, holding two sandwiches that were very obviously filled overcapacity, whistling a tune. His whistling came to an abrupt stop as he looked around the destroyed house, then at the broken table, to the broken window and finally to Finn's angry form,

"Uh… am I interrupting something?"

When Finn only glared at him, Hunson meekly apologised and raised a sandwich in surrender.

* * *

"Seriously what else?" Flint stared at his sister.

"I feel so cold, like I'm in the Ice Kingdom and really tired."

Flint reached out to touch her hand; she was as cold as an ice cube, even though she was still alit. "Come on, let's get you into that magma pool and hope it helps."

He clasped Phoebe's hand and helped her to her feet leading Phoebe to the magma pools. Flint out his two arms inside and heated up the lava till it started to burn even him.

"Okay…" He turned and groaned. Phoebe was undressing herself from her bloodied nighties.

Flint covered his eyes and blindly stumbled out of the magma pools. For distraction he rummaged through Phoebe's closet. She had kept one of Finn's old jackets, a soft black one that she loved to wrap herself in. She could cover herself in that.

Flint hung it inside the door.

Phoebe came out later in the jacket, enveloped in cloud of hot steam, her fiery hair curling, but she still looked dull. "Flint, it didn't work." she stated.

"Okay, come sit, I made you some hot soup maybe that will help." Flint offered.

"I feel wretched– I can't see how soup will help. I need to get back to Finn."

Flint stared at her; she could have sworn his right eyelid had developed a tick.

"What?" She looked innocent.

"Go back? What for, so that he can beat the snot out of you again? You're out of your mind."

"I could've gotten through to him, I just need a little, ow… Time." She groaned as her robe brushed against her injuries.

As they walked to the royal castle, Phoebe took note of how little shelters had been erected to keep the sick and wounded in. The state of the Fire Kingdom was… devasted to say the least, and that was putting it lightly. "Casualties?"

"Every one injured you see, they're resting on at least a hundred extinguished." Flint gritted out through his teeth, clutching his scimitar tightly.

They entered the destroyed castle to see the former Flame King waiting besides the throne, "Dad?"

"Daughter," He held out his hands placatingly, "I am not here for bloodshed, I do want to help you with whatever's troubling you." Flame King scanned his daughter's injuries.

"Whatever you need, I will do my best to help you."

Phoebe sighed as she made her way and sat on the destroyed throne. "Have we finished the re-creation of the Fire Giants?"

"Yes." Flint responded. "Powerful and sturdy."

"Activate them."

"How many of them?"

She gripped a heart-shaped locket and sucked on her tongue, "Well, how many do we have?"

As the Fire Kingdom prepared it's barracks and started training for the soldiers again, Phoebe took a robe and stood at the balcony of her once pristine castle. "Out for a late stroll, daughter?"

"Dad… I have to go to him."

"You will be killed by him."

"I'll die trying."

"You'll die trying." Flame King gripped his daughter's hand in sombre acceptance before letting her go, the passing down of power unspoken between the two monarchs.

* * *

It'd been two weeks, two weeks of inactivity and an eerie peace had fallen on Ooo, no attacks on the Candy Kingdom, no attack on the Fire Kingdom as they prepared. Only rare demon attacks here and there.

Finn, Hunson and Mephisto stood around a round table of a castle inside the fiery hellscape of the Gate they had opened, amassing their massive armies.

Mephisto stood next to Finn, who matched his sadistic grin. Hunson patted the boy on the back and chuckled, holding his sandwich. "I always knew you were a bad boy at heart! Makes me wonder what powerful grandchildren I might've had if you and Marceline had kicked things off."

"**My master will be a powerful asset to us.**"

"You've brainwashed him?" Hunson chewed.

"You wish, soul-boy. All I want is peace, and the only way I can do that is by killing everyone that threatens it."

"Are you going to kill my daughter?" His eyes flared dangerously as he stood off with Finn.

Begrudgingly, Finn lied as he smiled sweetly, "I will hurt her, but not kill her."

That seemed to appease him as Hunson grinned devilishly, "Good enough, close to death is fine with me."

Finn's red eyes gleamed cruelly in the Hell's sludgy red atmosphere. The ever-changing world was a welcome sight.

He had changed. He wasn't the same anymore. Finn the Human?

Now he was just Finn.

He was older, two weeks had passed in Ooo, but inside the Gate, he had already aged by three years; being nineteen now.

Stronger. Faster. Better. And more terrifying than ever. No more scrawny arms and weak voice. No cheerful, slightly awkward, and insensibly optimistic child. He had become an outcast. A sadist. A runaway.

Strongly built arms and a toned chest, a black cape sat behind him, a red crown of fire sat atop his head, floating just slightly above, radiating as waves of power flowed through it.

Closing his eyes, he released a hot breath.

From the moment he first put on the fiery crown, he heard it. A music was coming from the crown. At first it was a joyous sound, freedom. Then it was pained, captured again. Finn had more important things to worry about, he had to go through training, so he'd be able to keep up with Mephisto and Hunson. So, he tossed the crown to the side and focused.

Finn had forgotten the song, until he heard the crown's pained cries again. It called him. It begged him to come. The crown wanted a new master, but it also wanted freedom. A melodious, sorrow filled, unnatural whistle, played softly in his mind, calling him, yet also pleading with him to stay away. He did the latter. It wasn't a hard decision, he didn't want to be king, at least not now.

Time passes, and the song has become a permanent background of Finn's life. He grows tougher, quicker, and more powerful.

The demons of Hell come to respect him. They battle for battles sake, choosing to go after the residents of Ooo when they can. Finn does not hold back if you present a danger to him.

Over time, he forgot everything that made him human. Except his name.

He didn't know how long he stayed in the Hellscape, stewing in his hatred and pain and pining.

Rattleballs, at one point, had somehow come to persuade him, quite bravely, into coming back into his heroic duties.

Why should he care about any chaos he might wreak? A fact which only fanned the flames of Finn's rage. They didn't need a hero and all his suffering was pointless.

With a wave of his hand, crown of flames burning bright, he engulfed Rattleballs in fire.

He eviscerated Rattleballs without a care, watching as he screamed and flailed and came to his final End. He revelled in his ashes. Pleased for half a second that he could enact some form of revenge and that he had wiped out one of the most annoying beings to ever inhabit the land of Ooo.

"**Finn, I have something I'd like you to see.**" Mephisto held out a crystal ball which showed Phoebe running from something inside the woods. "**You will like the surprise at the end**."

As he looked on, he saw Phoebe walk out from behind a tree. She said something, but he couldn't read the lips, and there was no sound. He watched a long, intense battle ensue, and watched as Phoebe fell to her knees. A demon, who Finn presumed was the leader, spoke something to her, but once again, Finn was clueless as to what it was. Phoebe responded, and this time he understood it.

_"I will never betray Finn."_

Finn felt his heart swell. Only for it to be shattered by the demon decapitating Phoebe.

Mephisto and Hunson looked at Finn, and noticed that he had closed his eyes. "Didn't you say this would get him angry?"

Mephisto was equally confused, had the boy fallen so deep into his own hate that he didn't care about the girl anymore?

_Is he not angry?_

As Mephisto thought such, the room began to shake. Cracks appeared on the walls, and Hunson nearly fell down. It was clear what caused such a tremor.

Finn was furious.

The rage and killing intent radiating from the him burst forth in waves. Mephisto soon realized that it wasn't just this room that was shaking.

_**Such power. The whole Gate is trembling.**_

He slammed his hand into the wall, and the shockwave nearly knocked Mephisto, who stood closest to him, down.

Hunson was amazed. He had seen him unhappy, but this makes every other time look like he was giving out sweets to children. He knew the slightly radical demons were responsible for this, and he pitied the fools who caused this.

Seeing Phoebe on the monitor again when he opened his eyes had rekindled Finn's ire, the light flashed in his eyes once more, but it was no longer a light, but a deep crimson flame that leaked out and heated up the air around it.

After a moment, the room stopped shaking, and the flames dimmed to pinpricks of light.

Silently, Finn stilled his heart and moved into another room of the castle.

Hunson and Mephisto shared a dark laugh and the image inside the crystal ball changed. He paused mid-swipe and doubled back to a previous scene spinning around the crystal, watching in utter bewilderment as armies of frost and candy lined the Candy Kingdom. And an armada of Fire Giants at the ready. Who dared—?

"Princess Bubblegum and Flame King have declared a state of war on Finn the Human—"

"**Imbeciles**," Mephisto hissed. The scene changed to an overhead shot and saw the Ice King, Marceline and Bubblegum working hand in hand.

_**Of course**__._ It was their doing. The friends. Finn's friends. The nagging, life-sucking thorns in the child's side. He should've killed them all when he had the chance.

But—,

No.

Mephisto inhaled deeply and relaxed his shoulders.

This is precisely what he'd wanted. A challenge. They were calling Finn out. They thought themselves ready.

They would be sorely disappointed.

The footage reverted back to scenes of the wreckage inside the Candy Kingdom and he saw, nearly hidden by flickering fire, the unmistakable presence of ice. It encased the buildings that had been shredded into pieces as though little more than paper.

_**Simon Petrikov**_, he thought with a smirk. Now that did make things fun.

Laughable.

Mephisto spun on his heel and left the crystal ball to its rambling, tapping his fingers on his thighs.

Well, if Finn's friends were so keen on seeing him again, why should he deny them? They needed reprimanding after all, going and ruining his fun before he'd even had a chance to raze it to the ground.

Yes. It seemed the time had come.

He returned to his pitiful master's room and leaned in the doorframe with arms crossed.

Finn opened his eyes with obvious effort before closing them again with a sigh. "What?"

Mephisto smirked. "**I have a proposition for you**." He sat by the boy's side and flames lit both their bodies.

Oh, how he loved this game.

* * *

A large domed-barrier had been placed around the Candy Kingdom, one of the ruby gems from Simon's crown had been placed on the very tip of the tallest tower inside the kingdom. Its energy powered the cerise dome that protected the inhabitants.

Bonnie sat by the shield's edge with her nerves twisting her insides, listening to the voices of Marceline and Simon in her ear continuing to say there was no sign of _anyone_.

Finally, as dusk began to settle and Bonnie's eyes began to droop, a black glow sparked to life beyond the shield's protection.

"**My, my**."

Bonnie jumped to her feet, heart pounding so swiftly she feared she'd lose consciousness and ruin the whole thing.

Mephisto hovered in the air, burgundy leather wings flapping in regular intervals, too far above her head to see clearly. His voice carried as though he was standing beside her. "**I come expecting an army and find the sacrificial lamb**." He chuckled darkly. "**You're as captivating as ever, Bonnibel**."

"The name's Bubblegum," she spat, sure that he could hear her. She lifted a hand to the device in her ear so that the rest could hear as well. "What do you want here, _Mephisto_?"

He laughed again, a booming sound that brought a shiver to her spine. "**I come bearing gifts**." He shifted his arms, removing something from his shoulder. A body. Unconscious. Golden-haired.

Her eyes widened, terror quickening her already fluttering heartbeat.

Mephisto cradled the body for a moment, then let it fall.

"_Finn!_"

Bonnie bolted towards the shield, arm out, fingers stretching just beyond its protection. Marceline was shouting in her ear, "Finn's here?" "What's happening?" but she could only watch on helplessly as the body plummeted to the very solid, very unforgiving earth.

The red demon cackled. Seconds before Finn's body touched ground, he snatched him up and whirled to look at Bonnie with the most wicked sharp-toothed grin she'd ever seen. His red eyes were fairly glistening with sick, twisted glee. Before she thought to lower her arm, he blinked into existence in front of her and brushed his fingers against hers.

She recoiled, hissing in pain, and saw the skin he'd touched already puckered and red.

"**Don't you want your present**?" he asked, mockingly, turning the unconscious Finn's head to face her. His brow was furrowed, eyes flitting to and fro beneath tightly closed lids.

"What have you done to him?"

Mephisto clicked his tongue and settled Finn more comfortably in his grip. "**Nothing of consequence. You do realize I need him alive, don't you?**" He patted Finn's head affably. "**See? We want the same thing.**"

"Hardly," she replied.

"**Tsk tsk. That temper. I swear, you're worse than me**."

Her lips lifted in a snarl and he had the gall to wink. Defiant, she crossed her arms. "You're not making any sense, _demon_," she jeered, and allowed herself a triumphant smirk at the way he bristled. "Why steal Finn only to bring him back a two weeks later?"

Mephisto shrugged. "**I was going to kill him by accident if I let him stay with me. I can't be bothered to remember to feed him all the time and Hunson was always plotting murder. And the waste—**"

He shuddered. "**I don't pity not being human. Of course**." He leaned close, right against the shield's perimeter. "**With the exception of… **_**one**_** thing**." His tongue slithered out and gave a reptilian flicker.

It was her turn to shudder. He threw his head back and laughed at the sight.

"**Oh, Bonnibel. If only you knew how well I know you. Your pain, your pleasure. The sounds you make as you—**"

"Shut up!"

"**Well, I would give you your gift and leave if I could, but**—" He jerked his chin at the shield. "**Demons can't pass, remember?**"

"We're ready," Simon whispered in her ear. "Do it now."

Bonnie fisted her hands at her sides. "Set him down. I'll get him."

"**Oh**?" Mephisto lifted an eyebrow. "**You trust me**?"

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "As if. You want to leave, right? Then do it. Before someone decides to be heroic."

"**You mean the **_**someones**_** talking in your ear**?"

She decided against reacting to that. Simon had mentioned the… _demon_ would most likely sniff a plan out from the start. Impassive— as impassive as she could feign to be— she waited, staring into those foreign red eyes that looked back at her with such familiarity.

"**Not to be dissuaded, huh**?" he said with a quirk of his lip. Slowly, he backed away from the shield and, even more slowly, set Finn's motionless body on the ground. "**Take good care of him now. Can't have him dying and making me non-existent**."

"You have my word."

He smiled then. With no hint of malice. "**And that, I can trust**."

His murmured words sent a chill through her body. Reminded her that much as they tried to differentiate him— much as they tried to set him aside in his own little corner of evil— part of this demon belonged to Finn. A small part, maybe. But it was still there. Still present. They just didn't want to admit it.

She watched as Finn's charge self-floated above the ground, his gaze locked on hers, a smile plastered across his lips. Slowly, achingly, he drifted further and further away before finally vanishing from sight.

Bonnie wasted no time. She darted out of the shield's protection and skidded to a stop by Finn's side. Draping one arm across her shoulders, she yanked him up by the waist and began dragging him back as quickly as she could.

Mephisto blocked her path.

She'd known he would.

"**Bonnie**," he whispered, cupping her face in his palm, his iciness tempered to cause her discomfort rather than pain. "**You really are too trusting**."

Bonnie bit her lip, tightening her hold on Finn. "You need him alive. Let me go."

"**I really**—" He extracted Finn from her arms, **"—really**—" set him on the ground, "—_**really**_—" pulled Bonnie into his chest, "—**don't want to**," and settled his mouth against her ear.

She braced her hands on his forearms, trying to push herself away to no avail.

His arms circled her waist, crushing her to him, and he lowered his head to her neck, inhaling the scent of her fear, tasting her skin with his tongue, brushing his lips against her pulsing vein.

"**You were much more beautiful before**," he murmured in her ear. "**All your anger**." He kissed her cheek. "**Your hatred**." He kissed her forehead. "**Your pain**." He slanted his mouth on hers.

Her fingers dug into him as his tongue delved into her mouth. Abruptly, he pulled away and stared down at her, eyes alight with something she didn't want to name, the corners of his mouth upturned in the semblance of smile that looked far too sinister.

"**Won't you fight me, Bonnibel**?"

He breathed the words into her, lingering too close for coherent thought. Her legs wobbled, forcing her to rely on the strength of his arms.

"Always," she whispered.

She grabbed the collar of his suit and crushed her lips to his. He groaned into her mouth and slid his arms up her back. Her fingers danced across his arms, lingering on his collarbone, searching, trying to get a feel for the book that Simon had told her to take. She pressed herself into him, let him ravage her mouth with his tongue as she swept her arms along his back, curled her legs around him, and tried— with her limited range of sight— to catch a glimpse of their only salvation.

It wasn't there.

Gasping, she shoved him away and cringed when he pulled her back and latched his mouth onto her neck, sharp teeth puncturing candy skin. Desperately, her eyes sought the others, creeping up from behind.

They struck. Still and silent as ghosts.

Simon lashed out and shot frost at their legs, trapping her and Mephisto in their embrace. Immediately, Marceline's hands turned to claws and she strummed her axe-guitar, the sharp waves of sound barrelling into the trapped pair, and Bonnie heard Mephisto let out a surprised grunt before her hearing failed her and the only sensation her brain allowed was one of searing pain.

If it hurt this much to her, she could only imagine how it must feel to him.

"Hurry!" Simon shouted, struggling to maintain his icy grip on the demon's legs from Mephisto's violent thrashing.

Marceline flew over, hand thrashing about to look for Mephisto's book. A vicious backswing caught her on the jaw. She yelped, stumbling backward, and blindly rushed forward again.

Mephisto whirled to face her and she punched him square in the nose before she rammed her hand into his coat.

"Lightning!" Marceline shouted.

"But—"

"Do it!" She yelled, ducking a fire-encased fist.

Simon gritted his teeth and did as they asked, icy branches of lightning erupting from his fingertips, his heart wrenching as he heard the sounds being ripped from their throats. As if Bonnie's altruistic role wasn't enough.

"_**ENOUGH**__!_" Mephisto roared, energy crackling from every pore, hot gusts of wind driving his assailants back. Energy exploded around him, rippling shockwaves that slammed into the shield.

Simon lost focus on his barrage and seconds later he was hurled backwards into the shield's safe zone.

Bonnie was furthest from the shield, holding her neck with eyes wide in horror. Marceline was closest, bleeding from scrapes.

Simon came running out, a blade made from frost in his hands. He swung and swung at Mephisto, the blade making shallow cuts in the demon's flesh, a swift grab of the blade and it shattered.

He was being held up with one fist around his neck.

"**Did you **_**honestly**_** think**—" Mephisto's voice heightened, "—**I would put it somewhere. So. **_**Obvious?**_"

Simon barely let out a choking gasp before he was slammed down to the ground.

"**You think me so foolish**?" Mephisto snarled. "**Haven't you learned by now? You have no chance against me!**"

"Stop," Marceline rasped, bringing herself up on shaky arms. "Stop it, Mephistopheles."

He froze. Red eyes wide and blank. His head turned mechanically. Staring her down. "**What did you call me?**" His voice was a whisper, and more deadly for it.

"Your name," she said and swallowed hard. "That's your name."

With a snake-like hiss, he dropped Simon— who sucked in a deep, heaving breath— and took a step forward. "**Fool. Fool to the last**." His eyes flicked to Simon and, sneering, he gave him a swift kick in the side. "**Next time**," his foot hovered over Simon's neck, "**don't underestimate me**."

Smirking at the fear bleeding through the man's expression of pain, Mephisto turned around. Bonnie looked up at him, trembling and pale. He took one step forward, one step towards _her_.

Simon latched onto his ankle. "Don't you dare," he ground out. "Don't you dare touch her."

Without a word, Mephisto swung his leg, dragging Simon like a ragdoll, and dug his heel in the man's gut. He waited, pressing his weight down and down, until Simon burst out a sharp yell and tried to shove him off-balance.

"**Pitiful**—" he began to say, but was cut short when he felt the draft of a celestial nearby and spun around to see that Bonnie had disappeared. Furious, he scanned the surrounding area, but saw nothing, though he knew they were still nearby.

"**Nicely done**," he murmured. "**Who could it be?**"

Mephisto looked down and felt a tremendous amount of cryo-energy building inside the man's body.

Irked and disgusted with the sight, Mephisto took a step back, allowing the man his breath. "**Well**." He flicked his fingers across his suit. "**This was fun, I suppose. But I'm afraid I must be going**."

"**But not before I kill you before you become an actual threat to me**." Mephisto lifted a hand and a spire of black flames drilled forth.

But a familiar presence made herself known, making Mephisto shiver in fear as he spun around, eyes widening at the horrific sight.

Auriel planted her feet opposite him, blade in hand. "Not so fast."

He glanced from the blade to her steely veiled gaze, wiped his sweat, and vanished from sight with a glare.

He'd left.

Everyone made their way inside the Candy Kingdom's shield and into the headquarters.

"_Ugh._" Simon stretched a feeble hand and leaned his weight on Auriel's shoulder. "That— was hell," he huffed.

Auriel remained silent, watching her surroundings until she'd brought them past the barrier.

"You did good, Bonnie," Marceline said. "We got our Finn back."

Bonnie pursed her lips, unconvinced it was as simple as it seemed.

* * *

When Marceline woke to find Finn staring at her, she thought she was dreaming and promptly rubbed her eyes. Upon still seeing his gaze on her, she stumbled to her feet, arm out, then wondered if it was just another one of the blank stares he'd been giving everyone while recovering.

But then… Then she heard him, heard the faint "Marcy?" and her heart leapt into her throat and she felt herself fall back into the chair with a thud, her mouth open in astonishment, and the little voice in her head telling her she must be in a dream.

"Finn?" she whispered.

He smiled.

_Smiled._

And she ran, stumbling over herself in her hurry, as though he'd disappear if she didn't reach his side in time. She threw her arms around him and squeezed tight, blind in her joy and relief. She didn't notice the tension in his shoulders, the straightness of his spine, the careful awareness of her movement, and the tinge of anxiety in his eyes, as though waiting, just waiting, for her to stab him in the back.

Simon, watching on from a corner of the room, bit his lip and turned away.

Some wounds, it seemed, ran too deep to heal.

* * *

Hunson and Mephisto watched the armies pour through the Gate into the land of Ooo.

"**Phase one is a go.**"

Hunson laughed and deformed into a eldritch monster of horrific proportions, souls being vacuumed into his mouth as he laid waste to Ooo.

* * *

.

**Please leave a heart and follow if you're new here! It really motivates me to continue!**

**Leave a review too, please. **

See you in the next chapter, vibe check!


	9. Doppelgänger

**A/N:** Line breaks broken, please use PC to see them!

* * *

As soon as Marceline poked her head into the lab with a cry of "Finn's awake!" Bonnie left the monitor and bounded past her up the stairs. She burst into the master bedroom, out of breath and smiling like mad, at once relieved and disheartened to see the wary gaze of her friend. She tampered down her smile and forced herself to walk steadily to the bedside. That blue-eyed gaze lowered to the arms coiled around his body and Marceline could only hope Finn would remain calm.

Bonnie was clinging to him for dear life and Finn, for his part, belied his impassivity through only the slightest of twitches and the look in his eyes.

Marceline put her hands-on Bonnie's shoulders and tugged. "Bonnie, come on," she murmured, then forced a chuckle. "He needs to breathe. Give him space."

She shook her head, eyes clenched shut, and Finn flinched when she tightened her grip.

"Bubblegum," Marceline hissed, squeezing her shoulders.

Bonnie's eyes flew open wide, grip loosening immediately, and she met Marceline's gaze in understanding. Still, this was her friend and she waited a moment longer, inhaling a deep, shaky breath, before she shifted back to look at him from arms-length. He was pale, cold, smelled faintly of blood, but he was alive. He was observing her the same as she was him. And he smiled— wanly, but the effort was marked.

She finally had her friend back.

It pained her, but she released him and scooted back on the mattress. "I'm sorry." Her voice cracked and she swiped at her eyes. "I just—" She put a hand over her mouth, willing the tears at bay. "I missed you so much."

Finn's eyes widened. He shrunk back into the mountain of pillows behind him. His gaze flitted across the room, frantic, seeking purchase on something safe, something— Marceline thought wryly— like a pair of hazel eyes.

"Finn," Marceline said, lifting a hand, intending to place it over Finn's head, but froze when he saw the tell-tale flinch. Instead, she rubbed the back of his neck and heaved a sigh. "Weenie," she repeated, trying to command her friend's focus. "What's past is past. We don't have to think about it. Bonnie and I are just glad you're safe."

Finn blinked, suddenly seeming deflated. He squirmed beneath the thick layer of blankets. "You don't… hate me?" he whispered.

Bonnie jumped up with a vehement _No!_ while Marceline blurted out an adamant _Of course not!_

Again, Finn flinched and both women calmed themselves. Bonnie resumed her perch at his side while Marceline dragged a chair to the bedside.

"We're so sorry," Bonnie whispered, reaching for one of his hands. She fought back a smile when he let her take hold of it.

Marceline frowned, uncharacteristically morose. "We'd never to anything to hurt you. No matter what happened."

"We'll _always_ love you," she added, squeezing Finn's hand.

Finn gulped and squirmed again. "I don't…" He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath, felt the warmth of a hand in his hair and fingers at his cheek. "Thank you." He gripped Bubblegum's hand, risked a glance at Simon. The grin on Simon's face was simply too much to return, so he settled for a faint smile and lowered his head again.

The past was past.

There was nothing more to be said.

* * *

They flittered about like moths to a flame, tending to him without his asking, chattering about nothing. Every now and then, Simon would poke his head in, asking after Finn's condition and wondering when they would return to the lab. Usually, they would wave him off. Sometimes he would stay and pointedly try to steer the conversation as far from Phoebe as possible, a topic which Finn kept trying to return to.

It had been days.

She couldn't really be dead.

His body was heavy, but the pain lessened to a dull ache after the second day. His friends force-fed him whatever Peppermint Butler cooked up, not that he could taste it anyway. He was very much a demon. Just with the appearance of a human. Bonnie fell asleep holding his hand and woke up hissing in pain with burn wounds.

It was almost time.

Soon enough, the end would come.

* * *

He appeared in front of her in the span of a heartbeat and she gasped, stumbling backwards into Bonnie's arms. A smirk lingered on the corners of his mouth. "Really?" His voice was mocking. "You trust me?" He took a step forward and lifted a single brow when he saw the way they leaned back at his approach. "What happened?" he murmured, lifting a hand, demonic energy a pulsing light in his palm. "Don't you trust me?" Another step. A shiver in response. "I won't hurt you." Step. Marceline bit her lip.

Bonnie put herself between them. "Stop it, Finn. I know you're doing this on purpose."

Finn cocked his head to one side. "So? If you trust me, this is nothing." Step. "If you trust me, it wouldn't matter."

Bonnie struck him, a quick, sharp slap to the face that whipped his head aside. Her eyes, when he finally met them, were misty and narrowed. "We don't trust you," she spat. "There. Are you satisfied?"

He stared at her, stunned into silence, then turned his gaze to the others. Marceline, Simon, and even the candy personnel wouldn't even look him in the eye.

It was too much. This scenario. Their suspicion. Their fear. It brought a fit of laughter to his lips.

"Finn—" Marceline started.

He whirled, a sneer on his face, and the words died on her lips. He stalked towards her, ignoring the way she flinched, and tore her out of Simon's embrace, kicking him aside when he tried to latch onto her. "Do you love me?" he asked, fingers digging into her shoulders.

Her body quivered in his grasp, eyes wide and pleading.

"Do. You. Love me?" he asked again.

Her head shook, a barely there, imperceptible shake. It was enough.

Finn shoved her back, watching with hard, unyielding eyes as she tripped over the coffee table and sprawled painfully across the floor.

The whirring buzz of a charging weapon caught his attention and he turned to see Bonnie levelling an energy gun at his face.

"This is familiar," he said blandly. "You almost killed me once, you know."

"Then we're even," Bonnie hissed. "Don't make me use this, Finn."

The demon grinned. "I won't."

* * *

Simon had known it wasn't going to go well. Simon had known something terrible would happen. So he hid in the stairwell to the lab, just waiting for the moment to occur. And there it was. The ultimatum. Cryo powers at the ready.

So he readied his hand, kept his aim on the boy, and waited for the opportune moment.

A moment that never came.

Because suddenly _Marceline_ was blocking his sight, glaring down at him with righteous indignation, and he cursed her as being the cause of their future agony.

* * *

"Finn! Buddy!"

Finn spun in the air and smirked at the yellow canine stretching before him. "Hello, brother. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Jake halted his approach, sensing danger, though he couldn't determine why. "There were screams," he said slowly. "You've left again. Why?"

"Let's see…" Finn mockingly said, as he tried to remember.

"Oh!" Finn hit his forehead. "Right. No one trusts me. Not even the one who addresses me as his family."

Jake sniffed the air. As with before, his nostrils were assaulted with the smells of the Candy Kingdom—the candy people, the demons, apricots and vanilla, the food.

"I haven't showered," Finn said with a smirk. "Do I smell awful? Your face seems to think so."

Jake's brow furrowed. "Surprising how clean you look for a human who hasn't showered."

Finn's smirk broadened.

"Surprising how little of your own scent remains. As though you're purposely trying to mask it."

He laughed.

"Surprising how little you think of Phoebe, when I know for a fact you'd never abandon her."

At that, his jaw snapped shut.

Jake waited.

"They aren't worth my time," he hissed.

Jake sighed. "That's what I thought you'd say."

* * *

Bonnie saw it from afar, the signs of battle. Steel-like yellow flesh clashed against flaming black energy. She and some banana guards hurried to lend their aid, but were stopped short by the sight before them.

"He's _not_ Finn!" Jake roared, dodging a barrage of flames.

Finn laughed, launching a fiery shield seconds before a hammer crashed from above. "I never claimed to be him!" One quick snap of a flaming whip sent Jake reeling. Finn spun to face his new opponents, sucked in a breath, and hurled them all back with a wail that sent black rings of energy barrelling from his mouth.

Simon toppling through the air from the shockwaves saw Finn speeding towards him and lifted his arms to brace against an attack that never came. Instead, one of the two remaining red gems was ripped from his crown.

Jaw snapping, Simon managed to lock one arm around Finn's neck and squeezed.

Finn struggled, hands vainly pushing at Simon's arm, for only a moment. Then he clicked his tongue and Simon snatched his arm away from the sudden burn.

"You're making this more difficult than it has to be," Finn said.

But suddenly it wasn't Finn anymore.

"_You_," Simon snarled.

Red eyes crinkled in mirth. "**Me**." He shook out his leathery wings and ran a hand through the flames dancing on his scalp. "**Thanks for never visiting. Since I can't speak Russian anymore, **_**Petrikov**_."

Simon roared.

Mephisto ducked beneath his hands, jabbed a fiery fist in his gut, and sent him flying with a beam of flames. He slipped past Jake's clutches, grabbed him by his arm and snapped it.

Jake's howls were deafening.

Mephisto cackled over him and swiped an arm. Energy sliced through the air, knocking back the approaching soldiers. "**This has been fun. Really, it has. But it's unfair, what with my handicap. So I'll have to cut it short**."

Jake's lip curled upwards.

Mephisto grinned and fled for the edge of the shield.

They gave chase, other soldiers appearing from the sides. But Jake knew he was long gone. If Finn's speed had been enough to surprise him, then his puppet master, would be far more swift.

It was over.

They'd failed.

He threw back his head and roared.

* * *

Finn watched, eyes wide and unblinking, as the crystal ball before him spelled out what could have been, what _would_ have been had he not been confined to this room, to this bed, day upon day upon day.

Mephisto stood at his side, arms crossed, flipping through every chosen scene with a sick, twisted glee.

"_I don't know who you are."_

"—_you know you have much more to be guilty for."_

"—_you're acting just like him."_

"_Stop it, Finn."_

"_We don't trust you."_

"—_we're even."_

"_You were never supposed to have one."_

Finn squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could press his hands into his ears, wishing he could stop the voices from racking his body with pain. Pain, _pain,_ _pain!_ It was always _pain!_ There was _always_ pain! No matter what he did. No matter how he tried. It all ended in pain. He always met with pain. There was nothing in life for him except pain and torment and loathing by all he met and all he would meet. And Marceline. _Marceline_. The liar to best all liars!

True colours revealed when it mattered most. When he needed her most. How could she? How _dare_ she? After all he'd done for her. She _should have known! _Instead she speaks against him. Turns everyone against him. _Accuses_ him when all he ever did was love her—.

Love? He shuddered. No. Not love. The horror on her face when that question was asked. It made him want to crush her neck. No. There was never love. There was only_ hate._ She was everything he wasn't. Everything he could never be. Angry but gentle. Lonely but still kind. And he _hated_ her. He wanted her to watch the world burn. Watch her own anger raze down cities. He wanted her to witness the power she denied so scathingly and tell him to his _face_ that she _hated_ him before he broke her in two.

Mephisto picked up the crystal ball and it started to crack, before it finally shattered in his grip. He stared down at the boy trembling in his prison and placed a gentle hand on his head. "**You ready, kid**?"

Red eyes met red.

Mephisto smirked.

The game was won.

Finn clutched an axe that looked exactly like Mephisto's, and looked out at the hellish Ooo, whispering into his axe. "For Phoebe."

* * *

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Short chapter, I'm really sorry! New Year's house visiting has given me so little time to write! **Please leave a heart and follow, write a review too!** I'll see you all in the next chapter. :-)


	10. Game: Start

**A/N:** Line breaks still broken, please use PC to see them! Please l**eave a heart and follow, and also a review**!

* * *

"He's amassing an army through fear," Simon announced one night after a foray into the progressively destroyed Ooo.

"Mephisto, you mean," Bonnie said offhandedly, tapping away at a keyboard in the lab.

"Finn is with him as well."

All noise ceased. Marceline shut off her blowtorch. Peppermint dropped his hammer. Jake and Flint stopped clacking on keys. They looked up from their places with wide eyes.

"You're joking…" Jake murmured.

"That's impossible," Marceline said indignantly.

"Are you sure he's really helping?" Bonnie asked. "Maybe he just—"

Simon cut her off. "I didn't see him. But, from what I heard, he's doing more than just helping. He's tearing Ooo apart. The Citadel's crystal guardians aren't retaliating. Even Cosmic Owl can't be found. And they plan to attack Prismo for his ability to warp reality."

Flint's jaw dropped. He clenched the arms of his chair to hide his suddenly quivering hands. "That's insanity…"

"There's no way that can work," Bonnie exclaimed. "I doubt it would increase his power again."

"If anything, it would be a spare," Flint added. "We can look into it, but I don't have much information on this Prismo guy."

"I can fill in some blanks," Jake offered, and waved them over to one of the monitors.

Marceline crossed the room and beckoned Simon to the stairwell. He padded after her. Once out of sight, she clutched his arm. "What's going to happen?"

Stunned, he blinked rapidly. "Of what do you ask?" he murmured, gently prying her fingers away.

"Your home, Simon."

A shudder ran up his spine. Simon smiled thinly. "The Ice Kingdom hasn't been threatened yet."

"But it will be," Marceline guessed.

"Most likely."

"And what will you do?"

He clenched his jaw and stared off to one side. "If an ultimatum is given… I will do all I can to ensure the safety of my land."

"Good."

He turned to look at her, baffled.

She just smiled. "I'd rather you not be a part of this."

"I can say the same of you," he replied. He brushed aside a stray lock of her hair and caressed her cheek with his thumb. "You're far too gentle for what Finn wants to set in motion. I will also do what I can to ensure _your_ safety. I know it's what the boy—"

"Finn," she chirped.

"_Finn_ would want." He grinned down at her, patted her head, then left her to go back to work.

She blinked back sudden tears, let out a trembling exhale, and hurried to Flint and Bonnie's side once again.

* * *

The others caught a glimpse of Finn once. Red-eyed, blank-faced, surrounded in black flame, hovering above the wreckage of a village that pleaded with the demon to spare them, that pledged their subservience if only he would leave them be.

The motley crew at the Candy Kingdom spared little attention to the scene being played out for the masses. All eyes inside was searching for the figure that haunted their days and nights.

That brief, harrowing glimpse was all they were given, and it brought them no comfort. That brief, harrowing glimpse showed them a stranger in familiar skin, red eyes gleaming in a pale mask.

There were no more words to be said, no more tears to be shed.

They quietly picked themselves up, and went back to work.

And if they swore to the heavens that they would get him back, it was an oath made silent and unaware.

* * *

The Candy Kingdom lab grew silent the moment Auriel appeared from the one still chess piece. Marceline noticed her first and gave an involuntary smile. At her side, Simon's head whipped up. His jaw dropped at the sight. Flint gasped and dropped the file in his hands.

"You need to confront him," Auriel said simply, seconds before Flint started shouting.

"What's this thing!? Capture it, catch it now—"

Auriel snapped her fingers and Flint froze, his expression twisted comically in the midst of his tirade. The archangel allowed herself a smile at the sight then turned his head to face Marceline and Simon. "I can only save his soul for so long. Sooner or later, he _will_ kill someone dear to him, and you need to stop him before then. Once he falls that far, there's no hope left."

Marceline's eyes widened.

Simon shook his head. "What do you mean?"

"Finn Mertens," Auriel said, shifting to the chairs. "His only goal is chaos. But Mephisto is preparing him for more. Preparing him for slaughter. Once he has your blood on his hands, once he has the intent in his heart, he's lost to you forever."

Marceline shivered again, thinking back to her time with Finn, to the times she'd accused him of murder, to the fact that she'd pushed it from thought and cared for him in spite of it. Somehow, to hear Auriel admit to keeping his hands clean didn't bring her comfort. It only deepened her horror at how far he'd allowed himself to fall. It only made her despair.

Bonnie lifted her chin, staring down at Auriel. "Why didn't you just help him from the start? With your powers you could've easily stopped all this from happening!"

"Because it needed to happen. He needed to tear himself apart, with your help, of course," she said cordially, nodding his head at Bonnie, who frowned and levelled the energy gun at Auriel's head.

"Give me a reason not to use this," she hissed.

Auriel pointed the end of her blade at Flint, still frozen in time. "Would you care to join him?"

Bonnie flicked her gaze to Flint and back, but kept the gun level with her eyes.

Auriel grinned seconds before she shifted up and hovered in the air. The gun tracked her ascent and she allowed herself a chuckle in spite of everything. "If it makes you feel better," Auriel said, then turned again to face Bonnie. "My ways are unorthodox, child, but the future I'm creating is one in which Finn Mertens will survive."

"And you expect us to trust you?" Bonnie asked, planting her hands on her hips. "Everything I've heard hasn't been good. Even Marceline, who got plenty of useful information from you, almost got killed."

"True. And did Flint tell you what lovely ideas I gave _him?_"

Marceline and Simon shared a panicked look.

"Finn!" Simon blurted out. "Sorry, but you said we had to confront him. We shouldn't waste any time. Especially since we only ever know where he _was_, not where he _is_ or is going to be."

"Indeed," Auriel said amusedly. "And, Peppermint, don't think I haven't noticed the tazer. You may want to put it down, as it does harm humans as well."

Peppermint started, surprised by the sudden attention. Then he glowered. "Are you saying I can't aim?"

"Not at all. But you wouldn't hit me, and Simon here would end up your unlucky target. While it doesn't much affect the future I look to create, I'd rather not bear the threat."

Miffed, Peppermint lowered the tazer. After a beat, Bonnie even dropped the gun.

Auriel clapped her hands together. "Excellent. Now listen well. I won't repeat myself…"

* * *

"So you're saying he's lost forever?" Bonnie asked, hands shaking.

"No, Finn Mertens must _accept_ that he is both human and demon." Auriel's left hand glowed sapphire and her right hand burned crimson, "Two halves of the same whole."

A great rumble shook the lab and Auriel gave a deadpanned shrug of her shoulders, Simon stood up and started walking to the window. "Crap…"

Thousands of demons and grotesque abominations were seen making their advance towards the Candy Kingdom, they'd be at their doorstep within two days, tops. "What's that!?"

"Those are Gates, they are tears in your reality and my reality. It joins our worlds together, and when they pass those rifts, they will descend onto Ooo." Auriel said grimly.

"Continue with your explanation, I'll hold them off." He waved off Marceline's look of protest and flew out the window.

* * *

Simon heard the jeers as he slowed to approximate his location. Some of the demons were gaining on him, heading towards one of the Gate's doors that would bring them to Ooo. He wondered where his Ice Kingdom's soldiers were, if his realm was indeed destroyed, he would be to blame.

The first shot came as a surprise. Simon felt the heat of the blast at his side seconds before he swerved to dodge it. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the grins from the demons closest to him. They were going to take him out on their way to Ooo.

So be it.

Growling, Simon picked up his speed, intent on stalling to give Marceline and crew more time, time hopefully spent preparing, though they couldn't be expected to know what was coming for him.

Simon wouldn't hold long. He spun, rolled, soared, dipped. There was hooting behind him. Cries of his betrayal. Calls for his head. Blast after blast singeing his arms.

His wings of ice could only shield him and let him stay airborne for so long, with only one gem left to power himself, he had to rely on his own internal energies instead of the crown's vast reserves.

Panic bubbled inside him for the first time since he'd become ruler of the Ice Kingdom. He gained as much distance as he could from the crowd, whirled and shot ice at a figure in the centre. The demon was hit, fell back from the crowd. Simon increased his distance again, shot, hit, sped up, shot, hit.

A demon came up on his left, wielding a blade. Simon ducked beneath its swing, punched above the belt and blasted ice, blinding it. The demon screamed, threw the blade. He caught it, spun, sent it whaling at a demon coming from his other side.

Pain. Lower back. Someone from behind. He barrelled forward, flipped in mid-air, shot, hit, swerved to dodge a blast, grabbed a demon's arm, spun, hurled it into another demon coming up on his side, and barrelled past three more.

There were too many to fight off. He knew that.

Gathering ice around him, he soared above the crowd, turned mid-air, let out a roar and sent the ice rocketing down. The ice shattered as it fell, razor-sharp projectiles in all directions. He spun. The ice spun. Spinning. Faster and faster. A cyclone of screaming demons and needle-thin ice stabbing anything and everything in its path.

The demons not caught in the cyclone moved to surround him. Simon plummeted into the eye of the storm and out. It slowed as he flew away from his pursuers. A quick backward glance told him he had at least taken a few demons out of commission for the time being and the ones escaping the dying storm weren't in good fighting condition.

There was still too many.

Simon nearly collided into a group of demons heading him off from the front. How they had gotten past... He had no time to think on it. They grabbed him. One landed a solid punch. Another choked him from behind. Heat. Searing pain. He roared, froze the arms of the demons holding him, reached back, grabbed the neck of the demon behind him, hurled him into the one in front, and ducked below them to continue his escape.

Heat. Heat. Heat. He smelled his own charred hair.

The Gate was near. He was sure it was near. But his vision blurred as another blast landed its mark.

So this was it then.

He slowed, stopped, turned to face the crowd.

Closed his eyes.

"For Marcy, I surrender my honour."

Exhaled.

Felt the heat.

Waited for an end.

* * *

Simon felt the flaming blast before him and opened his eyes.

_No_.

She was here. But that was impossible.

But here she was…

She was fighting off the horde.

He didn't know how to feel about that. But, for the moment, he was grateful.

"Ice King, get out of here!" She shouted just as she had positioned herself to charge.

He looked up and saw the burning red crown atop her head, tendrils of flame striking back tens of demons at once.

"Didn't you hear me? Get out!"

"I will not leave you to—"

"We're not friends!" She shouted back, ducking beneath an energy blast and surging upwards to punch a demon in the jaw. "You're not my citizen. In your stead, rule falls to me. And I order you to leave! Warn the others!"

"I—"

"Get. _Out!_" A tempest of flames erupted, knocking Simon and other nearby demons away.

Simon fisted his hands and turned towards the passage of Gates. "I am sorry," he muttered. "I pray I did not lead you astray." Shaking his head clear of wayward thoughts, he set course for the door to Ooo and the ones who lay beyond it. He only hoped he would not be too late.

But…

The rift was gone. Simon felt about the empty air again, hoping it was a trick of the eye, but no. The Gate was gone.

What was he to do?

There were demons in the distance, even _she_ couldn't keep them all at bay. They would search for other natural rifts next, though those would not be guaranteed to keep them there long enough to enact their slaughter. It didn't guarantee him enough time to warn the others either.

So what was he to do?

There was only one thing.

He would stop them all.

Not one demon would reach Ooo.

By any means necessary.

* * *

Screams.

Screams everywhere.

Death. But how—?

Ice.

Fire.

A thunderous, shuddering wail.

He braced himself against the aftershocks. Couldn't tear his eyes away from the slaughter.

It lasted a moment.

It felt like eternity.

"**Don't worry**."

His shoulders hiked.

The voice came from everywhere at once.

"**I'm not here to kill you. **_**Yet**__._"

Simon's hands quivered.

_What have I done?_

But a blinding light grabbed him, and he felt himself being flung back and crashed on the Candy Kingdom's pavement. "What?"

Auriel dusted herself off, "Creating rifts always took so much energy. Come now, Simon, time is running out… I haven't even finished my explanation." She sighed.

"Wait! What about..."

Auriel silenced him, "_She_ is the final player in this game, she is not fated to die here."

* * *

Auriel appeared in the stairwell and gestured to the man behind her. "Got him."

Marceline shot up from her position at Flint's side, grinning madly. "Simon!"

The aforementioned human extended his arms just as Marceline barrelled into his chest. "Hello, Marcy. I'm glad to see you all right."

She burrowed into his chest, clinging hard to his back. "Simon…" Her voice trembled and he sighed, smoothing her hair back with a gentle caress.

"I know. Auriel told us everything. We're here to help. We'll be able to track him easily."

Marceline shook her head against him. "No need. He'll be coming here soon enough. Flint says I'll be his first target."

Simon's arms tensed around her. "I won't let him get to you," he snarled.

She just laughed and took a step back. "We have a plan. Don't worry." She gestured to the lab with a wide sweep of her arm. "Peppermint and I are researching. Bonnie is making a stronger shield. Jake is making weapons."

Simon's lip curled. "I may be of assistance in that aspect."

"Now, let me resume my explanation—!"

Auriel froze, lips parted mid-sentence, blade clattering to the ground, fingers clumsy in their twirl. It was as if time had stopped, yet the others in the room still moved.

Marceline lifted a hand, concerned, but suddenly she shifted, her eyes locking onto Simon.

She sucked in a breath. Shook her head.

Simon's stunned expression grew wary in the interim. "Auriel?"

She shook her head again. "I'm sorry."

Simon's shoulders twitched.

Auriel lifted a hand, light pooling within it, a small landscape appeared in mist. "I'm… so sorry." The light took shape, forming an icy, mountainous land.

Marceline knew by Simon's stricken expression that this was his home.

And it was being torn apart.

The room erupted in sound. Shouts from all sides. Accusations being thrown. _Traitor. Decoy._

Simon stood silent; eyes glued to the images playing out. And Marceline watched him, heart aching, aching so hard she dug her nails into her skin to be sure this was real.

It quieted when Auriel lowered her hand. When Simon collapsed. When Bonnie demanded to know what purpose that information served.

Auriel's eyes gleamed in the light, meeting Marceline's. "He's gone," she murmured. She huffed a laugh and reached down for her blade, though her gaze remained locked. "He's gone."

Marceline knew.

She _knew._

She hated how much she knew.

"I should have been there," Simon muttered, arms at his sides, rocking back and forth. "I should have been_ there_."

"You would have been killed," Auriel said.

Simon shuddered. "I should have been there. I should have— I should have…" His eyes clenched shut. Fingers curling. Hair bristling. Teeth baring. He growled, a low rumble, building to a snarl, a guttural ache squeezing his throat. His eyes flew open, claws dug into the floor, jaw snapped back—

He broke their hearts as he cried.

* * *

"What did you mean?" Marceline asked Auriel later, when everyone was occupied with the Fire Giants and what their next step would be.

Auriel hardly spared her a glance. "You know exactly what I meant."

She stomped her foot. The action garnered her attention, though she stared just as impassively.

"You're the Archangel of Hope. You wouldn't have come here if it was a lost cause."

"I'm not infallible, child," she mumbled, heaving a sigh.

"I refuse to believe that."

"I couldn't care less."

She reached for Auriel and snatched her cloak in her fist. Auriel didn't move a muscle, but watched her sidelong.

"Intend to beat me into submission?" she asked, a mocking smile on his lips.

Marceline sneered. "I'm not stupid. If you wanted Finn dead, he'd be long gone. So what do you want?"

Auriel's smile fell. "Sincerity." She pried off Marceline's hand, but held tight when she tried to pull back. "Does she have it, perhaps?"

The look in Auriel's eyes shook her to her core.

* * *

Simon approached her that night— close to dawn— curled up on the coach nursing a cup of Jake's tea. He nestled down beside her, his weight shifting her feet to press against his thighs.

"You were absent from our meeting."

She swallowed thickly. "I was interrogating Auriel."

His jaw clenched, the only discernible sign of tension. "Did it go well?"

"She told me she wants sincerity."

"Sincerity in what?"

Marceline paused, "It wasn't me; she wasn't referring to me."

Simon paused, instantly knowing _who_ Auriel was talking about.

"I have no idea," she drawled.

He hummed in the back of his throat, eyeing her in his periphery. He frowned and reached for the afghan at his side. Her breath hitched as he settled it over her legs. At his questioning glance, she gave an apologetic half-smile.

"Memories." She shrugged with one shoulder, promptly hiding behind the rim of her mug.

Simon waited, silent, for her to set the cup down, gather her wits, and face him fully. Her expression made his insides twist. Already defeated, yet war had yet to rage. She put her hand in his and squeezed.

"I'm sorry," he rasped and hated himself for the shudder running down his spine.

Her grip tightened, irritation flashing in her eyes. "Don't—"

"Let me speak," he begged. "I want you to know before the others. You, I hope, will understand."

He inhaled slowly, composing himself, and released her hand. Given the ultimatum he would lay before her, it wouldn't do to take comfort in her friendship. "My land. My people." His voice broke. He cleared his throat and pressed his fists into his knees. "I have a duty to protect them and it's one I've failed. I chose you and Finn over my duty. I had hoped to spare my people the consequences but… for reasons I cannot fathom, they followed. They let themselves be sucked into this madness and I— am the one to blame."

"Simon—"

"I can't shield him any longer," he snapped, brows furrowed, pleading still. "He's taken this too far. When I meet Finn on the battlefield, he will be my enemy. And if your intent is to help him, you will be my enemy as well."

Her eyes widened. She dropped her gaze to his trembling fists.

"I'm— sorry—" he began, voice cracking, glancing up to see how she handled the divide. The look in her eyes gave him pause. It was far from broken.

"Will you kill him?"

"No!" he shouted, then immediately apologized for startling her. "He must pay the price for his crime, but that price will not be his life," he explained. "He's done too much good in the past to warrant such a step. And to kill another human…" He shivered. "It's not something I condone."

"Then, fine."

His brows furrowed. "…Fine?"

She extended her arm. "Enemies on the battlefield. That's the decision, right?"

He stared at her, agape. "Marcy—"

"Don't make me try to talk you out of it. If this is something you need to do, then do it."

"Marcy—"

"_Please_."

He blinked rapidly, taken aback by her tone, the desperation, the sudden mist in her eyes. _There._ There was the brokenness.

"I understand, so… Don't make this harder. And don't tell the others. I'll tell them myself. You should steer clear until…"

"Until the time comes," he murmured.

She nodded, forcing a smile.

He clasped her hand tightly and lowered his forehead to her knuckles. "I swear, I will accept the punishment for this betrayal."

Huffing a laugh, she waved him off. "I wouldn't know how to punish you anyway. But…" Her expression softened. "Thank you. For everything."

He stood, eyes glistening in the lamplight, and bowed before her. "It has been my honour."

She clutched the afghan to hide her shaking and watched him disappear from sight.

When Bonnie came down in the morning, Marceline blamed her red-rimmed eyes on lack of sleep.

* * *

"This is it?"

"This _is_ it." Auriel held the large coffin in the air with her psychokinesis, "This is a coffin that only allows one that can freely shift from human to demon, and vice-versa."

She explained that she would give Finn an endgame. One person would be inside the coffin, which they would only be saved if Finn finally accepted both sides and let this madness finally end. "This is crazy…"

Bonnie shifted her crown wearily. She eyed the coffin, and everyone huddled in for a final team meeting, the last battle was happening soon.

He blinked, taken aback by the statement. "That's actually… well thought out."

Her responding smile was wry. "I'll take that as a compliment."

He scoffed at her cheek and took another sip of tea. "I can assure you, however," he began, "that Hunson Abadeer is not to be trusted. He—" Flint broke off with a scowl. "_He_— fights for whichever team will win. I know he sees no threat of defeat with that… abomination." He shuddered.

"And you?" she asked, voice soft. "What does Prince Flint see?"

"A future," he breathed, then smiled at her. "You can't get rid of me so easily."

She watched him intently.

He fidgeted. "What?"

"Are you sure about this?" She gestured to the coffin from Auriel. "You're putting a lot at stake here."

"And you aren't?" He sneered. "Don't make little of what you do, girl."

"I'm not— I just— Simon's going to take him regardless and—"

"It's _my_ decision," he snapped, glaring at the monitors. "I've had this lecture already and I'm not about to have it again with the likes of you."

Marceline gritted her teeth, eyes stinging. She spun on her heel to leave, but paused at the sight of the coffin. It gave her chills to look at. This was apparently his best defence, though she couldn't fathom why he would choose it. She certainly wouldn't have. She would have chosen to fight. Yet, for some reason she couldn't put her finger on, it felt like he was braver than her by far.

"Thank you for trusting us," she murmured. "For trusting him."

She didn't wait for his response. It was halfway up the stairs when she finally heard it.

"I trust you, you stupid girl."

* * *

The ground trembled first.

They froze, wide-eyed.

Then they heard the explosion and ran.

Flint was the first one down, the others clambering behind him. Jake and Bonnie leapt up from their chairs.

"Activity on the shield!"

Jake was gone instantly. Bonnie darted for the weapons.

Flint sprinted for the coffin. Marceline followed from behind, reaching him just as he situated the oxygen mask over his face. Bonnie appeared a moment later.

"I'm trusting you idiots," Flint snarled, lying himself down. "Get me out alive."

Bonnie clasped Flint's hand, choking down sudden tears. "I promise."

Marceline closed the inner coffin. Bonnie closed the second.

"How many?" Bonnie asked, hand out to catch the gun Marceline tossed.

"Two," Marceline announced. "My dad and—"

"Finn," Bonnie breathed, eyes locked on the screen and the smirking face it showed.

Marceline frowned.

Marceline shook her head. "No. Not Finn." She spun on her heel; fists clenched. "Mephisto."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"How can you tell?" Bonnie asked.

Marceline shook her head. "I just… know. Finn wouldn't smile like that."

Bonnie grabbed her shoulder. "We're trusting you, Marcy," she said.

The ground shook again. Fully armed, the duo stumbled their way up the stairs to help Jake.

Bonnie passed a small switchblade to Marceline.

Bonnie then clutched Marceline's wrist. "Stay safe, okay?"

She forced a smile. "You too."

* * *

.

There we go! Hype train to the final climax and a... bitter or sweet ending? Let me know what kind of ending you think would suit best and I might edit my planned ending accordingly! **Leave a heart and follow, and write that review!**

See you all in the next chapter!


	11. Burst

**A/N:** Please use line breaks for this chapter! It is needed for **_IMPORTANT_ **immersion and also because there's a lot of line breaks in this chapter! Line breaks on phones are broken so please use PC!

* * *

Hunson ducked beneath the swing of Marceline's claws then flew sideways to dodge Bonnie's blasts, two jets of fire pulsed powerfully from Bubblegum's miniature jetpack. "This hardly seems fair," he exclaimed, grin on his face.

Marceline breathed fire. "Daddy!"

Bonnie darted behind her, aiming to knock Hunson's medallion off.

He whirled, snatching Bonnie's arm, and slammed an energy-laced palm to her gut. Bonnie plummeted downward. "Not a chance," Hunson hissed, grin widening as he watched Bonnie crash through a building roof.

Marceline swooped in.

He dove beneath her, sending a flurry of emerald beams at her midriff.

Below, Bonnie was bracing to charge.

Hunson readied a shield just as he heard the shot ring out. It bounced harmlessly off his shield. His eyes darted to the Candy Kingdom's rooftop balcony building in the distance. He would recognize that Peppermint idiot anywhere, even crouched on a roof, planning to snipe him down like a bird of prey.

He snarled, angling his body towards them. Bonnie slammed against his shield, throwing him off balance. "This _really_ isn't fair," he growled, but when he turned to Marceline, he was still smiling. "I'll stop going easy on you now."

* * *

Simon located him by the edge of the shield, hovering motionless in the air with arms crossed. He said nothing. Did nothing. While Simon seethed, hands fisted, teeth grinding, and hair bristling.

When the boy's red eyes finally sought his, it was because Simon's control had snapped. Shards of ice spun around his feet in a whirlwind. One by one, the Fire Giants appeared, circling around them.

Finn smirked.

Simon roared.

* * *

Marceline hit the ground in an explosion of debris.

Hunson howled.

Bonnie scrambled to right her gun.

"Tsk, tsk."

She swore.

Bonnie leapt up, gun at the ready. Hunson crouched, sprang forward, and locked his arms around her waist.

"No!" Marceline shrieked as Bonnie toppled off the edge.

Marceline whipped past her.

Hunson clicked his tongue, seeing Bubblegum land safely in his daughter's grasp. "Asinine."

Marceline struck from behind, stabbing his claws in Hunson's side, sending him flying backward into an adjacent building. Dust rose.

Marceline dropped Bonnie off on the Candy Castle's roof, breathed in deep, and exhaled fire in a steady stream. The entire building went up in flame. Marceline held Bonnie, watching and waiting.

Hunson never came out.

* * *

Bonnie and Marceline held fast to each other as the ground shook. They heard the sounds of battle raging on in the rear of the Candy Castle. Soon enough, they smelled the smoke and saw the fire blazing.

"Jake!" Bonnie shouted, raising the gun in her hand.

He wasted no time, immediately using his arms to stretch a stairs down to safety.

Before they could use it, something blurred by, barrelling into Jake. The stairs vanished just as Marceline tackled her to the ground, shouting "Look out!"

Something crashed down behind them, where Bonnie had been standing. A veiny arm shot up from the cracked concrete. A snarling face followed. Then it was gone in a gust of wind.

Petrikov.

She saw him then, eyes narrowed, lips spread wide in a vicious smile, ice and flame twirling around his arms as he fended off attacks from all sides. He laughed— the sound so boyish and disjointed with the scene that she doubted herself.

It wasn't him. She felt it. But…

He saw Bonnie and Marceline on the rooftop first, then shifted his gaze to hers. A sneer crossed his face, eyes flickering with disgust. "You gave up on me so quick!" he shouted, ducking beneath someone's punch. He whirled away from a barrage of ice blasts, threw out a hand, and engulfed the group of soldiers in flame.

Simon tackled him from the side.

They crashed through a building window, then darted back out, exchanging blasts of ice.

Finn let out a cry and whipped his tail. The Fire Giants rushing to Simon's aid went flying. Some collided with the shield, screaming at the pain.

Bonnie's hand found Marceline's elbow. "Use it now," he ordered. "Before Jake starts and we lose our buffer."

Marceline held a little paper airplane that Auriel had made for them, it would seek out the person that the user wanted to find.

She lifted her arm and threw the paper plane. It sped through the air, and even as Jake shouted for Bonnie to find Hunson, its trajectory was the struggling Simon and Finn.

Bonnie's breath hitched.

Red eyes lifted, dead on with the incoming projectile.

"Marceline—"

"I'm not wrong," she snapped, though her fingers were quivering.

Then it shifted.

It bypassed that red-eyed face entirely, heading straight towards the rift Auriel had opened earlier.

* * *

Peppermint heard him before he saw him. It was subtle, a rustle of cloth in the air, but they'd suspected his approach from the get-go. He had simply been biding his time.

The icy presence Bonnie described materialized behind him. Peppermint felt heat building at the base of his neck, knew he was intending to strike, and spun around, gun at the ready.

Hunson flickered into view seconds before he disappeared.

Peppermint frowned. "That's… unfortunate."

He whipped back around to the screens. Sure enough, Hunson was with Bonnie and Marceline on the roof. A clone was with Jake by the shield's edge. A third with Simon by the messy battle between the Ice King and Mephisto-pretending-to-be-Finn.

Below the aerial combat, Bonnie and Marceline had escaped Hunson somewhat, taking cover in a building, stepping out now and again to shoot an unsuspecting demon. Keeping up appearances, Flint had called it. If they caught wind the Finn they saw was a fake, the Fire Giants wouldn't fight. That would give Mephisto far too much freedom. "And freedom means instantaneous death for us," Flint had deadpanned.

So far, the demons were ignoring the pair. But Peppermint could tell they were rapidly growing from nuisance to obstruction of justice. He hoped they would fall back soon.

Peppermint shot a glance to his charge— the coffin hidden in the alcove behind the staircase— and tightened his grip on the gun.

The next approach was swift.

He heard the blast, felt the heat, and ducked. The monitors blew up in sparks. He slammed Peppermint against the keyboard only to yelp and vanish a moment later.

Gasping for breath, Peppermint righted the belt on his waist— evil repelling indeed— and brandished his demonic pistol.

No more games.

This was war.

* * *

It was out of his way. Simon was aware of this. But he found himself heading toward the yellow dog regardless, feeling sick at the thought his death. It wasn't Jake obstructing his battle to be sure, that alone rested with Bonnie and Marceline, as he'd anticipated. But even that was a poor excuse for darting to the side-lines to rescue him.

Even so, it was relief that filled him as he caught Jake in his arms and relief that grew as he dug his fingers in his chest and gave a muttered thanks.

He flew Jake back to the waiting arms of a banana guard and returned to his Fire Giants. A laser beam of flames whizzed by his head and he ducked, turning to the source. Marceline glared at him from her position on the ground, emerald eyes bright and fuming, whirling with crimson. Bonnie dragged her behind a crumbling brick wall before Simon could muddle through his thoughts.

He didn't want to deal with them yet.

But he would have to soon.

* * *

After the carnage. After the adrenaline faded. When he took a step back and surveyed the wreckage. That was when it struck him. When whatever sane thing inside his head broke free of the tumult and left him with a staggering _What have you done?_

It lasted a moment. A brief widening of the eyes. A roiling in his gut.

Then one of the Fire Giants snarled and he blasted the stone where he stood, lined up and chained with the others who refused to hail Mephisto as their ruler.

His brain throbbed in his skull. He swore his eyes were bulging from their sockets. And he _hated_ them.

And himself.

So he ran.

* * *

Peppermint tried and failed to silence his breathing. There were too many. One by one the clones of Hunson Abadeer rushed in, and feinted back if he didn't catch them in time. He was wearing Peppermint down. He knew this. He just didn't know how to stop it.

It wouldn't be long now. Just a few more minutes—

The next Hunson that appeared caught him by surprise. He went for the belt at Peppermint's waist before he had time to react, shooting energy into it so it made sparks that seared holes in his suit.

Peppermint hissed, lowering a hand to unlatch it, aiming the gun with the other, never breaking his gaze.

He smirked, struck Peppermint's elbow, swung his arm wide and struck again. Peppermint heard the snap and screamed.

* * *

Simon didn't see who did it. He only caught the aftermath— the shattering of ice, Marceline's cry of pain, and Bonnie's responding yell. His head whirled before he could catch himself and his opponent capitalized on it, barrelling into him with flaming fists and forcing him out of the invisible ring.

They had become a problem.

He swallowed the bile in his throat and headed them off. "I'm sorry," he whispered, then lifted a hand and swallowed them in storm.

* * *

Jake roared, his position in the air giving him a clear view of Bonnie and Marceline as they disappeared in white. He knew Simon wouldn't kill them, _hoped_ he wouldn't. Accidentally, he could—

He wouldn't let himself continue that thought.

Hunson approached from the left and he whipped his tail, snarling as he disappeared like the rest.

Jake roared again, garnering the banana guard's attention, and swished his tail in the direction of Simon's storm.

The banana guard was gone in an instant. Jake hoped it would be enough.

* * *

Hand around his throat, Hunson leaned in close, red eyes gleaming, boring into his. "My patience is running thin, butler." His fingers tightened as he spoke. "Tell me where he is."

Feebly, Peppermint shook his head. "N-never."

He snarled, energy flaring to life around him. He whimpered through the burn, struggling to loosen his grip with one arm.

"Tell me where Flint is," he hissed.

"No."

With a click of his tongue, he rolled his eyes and growled. "Then you're no use to me, are you?"

Peppermint gasped, vision fading to black as the hand around him tightened. _I can't die yet,_ he thought, struggling vainly beneath him. _Not yet. Not yet._

Something shattered.

Hunson glared over his shoulder.

Squinting through the haze, he saw the figure step into view and stretched out his hand. _Please_…

* * *

The last thing Flame King remembered was Mephisto's face and dark fire. When the darkness faded and he woke to not being able to move his body, he saw only ice. But he heard sounds— muffled and distant—but sounds, and clung to that as proof that he was still alive. Well, as alive as an artificial fire elemental could be…

He realized two things in the course of focusing solely on the sounds.

Someone unknown to him was in danger.

Someone familiar to him was the enemy.

The heat melting the ice around him was steadily spreading outwards, from the inside out somehow, but patience was not in his repertoire. He summoned fire around him and pulsed it outward, quickening the rate at which the ice melted. He shifted, tensing his arms, and forced his body down, down, down, until the ice gave way with a terrible crack and he threw back his head and breathed deep.

_Ah._ It felt good to be alive.

He stepped down from the heated dais beneath his feet, felt something tug at his back, and reached behind him, feeling what had to be a syringe sticking out from his spine.

Well, this was going to hurt.

Quickly, he yanked it out and collapsed to his knees, shivering, the cold returning all at once.

He gritted his teeth, hefted himself back up, and shuffled into the main room.

Hunson was there, hunched over a candy. When Peppermint saw him, he reached out, mouthing something.

Flame King stumbled backward. "What are you doing?"

"Teaching him a lesson," Hunson sneered.

"You're…" Flame King swallowed thickly. "Let go of him. He'll die."

Hunson snorted. "That's the point."

Flame King felt something coil in his chest. "You're not a killer."

The response he got was a chilling smile and whispered words. "Actually, _I _am."

Flame King grinned darkly and surged forwards, "So am _I_."

* * *

Dry heaving, he clutched his head as nausea filled it.

"No, no, nononononono… This… This isn't what I wanted!"

Vomit erupted from his mouth as tears spilled from his eyes, his whole-body trembling as he fell into a heap in the nearby forest.

* * *

Auriel waited besides a fallen tree, idly twirling her blade and counting the times Finn Mertens spewed his insides on the nice grassy floor. One. Two. Three.

On the fourth, nothing was expelled. Finn's arms gave way beneath him and he fell beside his own bile—demonic and human— and stared listlessly at the cherry-green mush with bits of bread from a scarfed down sandwich days prior.

She had an inkling what was rattling around the boy's skull. Nothing good. But nothing unnecessary. Poor boy had spent too long being one or the other. It was time he learned the balance of both. And high time he accepted it.

Precisely four minutes of listless staring passed, then Auriel shifted her arm to let the blade tap the log and Finn's blue, blue eyes lifted.

"…You."

The boy's voice was shaky and weak. It made Auriel chuckle.

"Yes, me. I have a gift for you."

Finn's eyes rolled. He got his arms under him and slowly sat up. "I don't want— any gift of yours," he muttered, wiping his mouth clean.

Auriel sighed and flicked the scrap of paper she'd gone out of her way to retrieve in the air. Finn stared, eyes steadily widening. The paper airplane adjusted course, circling around Auriel to head straight for him. It skidded across the floor to his feet.

"You'll thank me for this one," Auriel said. "I saved you precious time. Make use of it." She disappeared before Finn could question her and a portal to the Candy Kingdom appeared in her place.

Finn knew what this airplane was, he had read about it in an old book Mephisto had given him to read. Words were written onto the paper when he unfolded it.

FINN.

CANDY KINGDOM.

PHOEBE.

He groaned, clutching his head against the sudden pain.

Hunson wasn't here.

Mephisto wasn't here.

Now, this airplane was.

No coincidence.

But—

_What have you done?_

What should he do?

* * *

Working for Mephisto? Intent on killing his son, Flint?

Flame King wasn't sure whether to believe the butler or not— he did seem familiar— but he knew something was off and didn't want any innocents dying on his watch.

Hunson didn't take kindly to Flame King rescuing the butler from his clutches. He also didn't take kindly to Flame King trying to get answers from him.

"_I'm _the master. You should be _obeying_ me."

Flame King kept himself poised for a fight in front of Peppermint, trying to block out the sounds of his pained moans— one arm was broken, and he had nasty burns. "He's no longer a threat—"

"He has information I need!"

"He wants Flint," he murmured. "He's going to kill Flint. Don't let him—"

Hunson growled and started charging.

Flame King raised a shield. It shattered on impact, flames exploding outward and rattling the framework. Flame King huddled beneath the shockwave. Hunson loomed above him.

"You're too weak to face me."

Flame King huffed a laugh and met that red-eyed gaze with a smirk. "So are you."

* * *

Fighting to keep her from the icy storm, fighting to keep safe, Bonnie clung to Marceline with all the strength she could muster. Marceline burrowed her head against Bonnie's chest, eyes clenched tight, fingers digging into her back.

The wind whipped around them. Shards of ice tore their skin. Bonnie bore the brunt of it, cocooning Marceline in her arms.

The wind circled faster. Slabs of concrete spun, one slamming into Bonnie and sending her flying, unconscious and bloody. Marceline clung to a wall still standing. The storm ripped her away and carried her up. She couldn't open her eyes, knew the moment she did, ice would likely blind her. She tried to relax her body, tried to be loose, to minimize the pain, but she collided with something hard, felt bone crack, and tensed all the more.

Then sound ceased.

She fell into softness.

And— _nothing._

* * *

"_Enough!_"

Simon turned in time to see Jake before he was tackled to the ground. Jake towered over him and pointed a finger at the raging storm.

"Enough," he snarled.

Simon blinked, flexing his fingers, glancing at the storm that had, indeed, grown far worse than he'd intended. Immediately, it stopped. Jake hissed, bounding through the falling debris to catch Marceline and Bonnie before they hit the ground.

Chest heaving, Simon watched Jake settle the two over his shoulders like children and could only swallow thickly when Jake turned a fierce glare on him.

"Get them out of here," Simon rasped.

Jake hesitated a beat, then nodded and jumped back the way he came.

Simon lifted himself up and saw Finn staring down at him with a smirk on his face.

"You're all alone," he said in lilting voice. And, indeed, his Fire Giants were nowhere to be seen.

But that wasn't the question most pressing on his mind.

"You didn't save them."

Finn cocked an eyebrow.

Shivering, Simon fisted his hands. "You didn't save Marceline."

Finn's smirking expression didn't falter.

Simon growled. "You're not Finn."

The boy laughed. "**Took you long enough**."

* * *

Flame King braced his arms against the incoming blast and dug in his heels as he skidded backward. Fissures zigzagged across his shield, but the butler was behind him by the staircase— had ran there once the battle began— and he had a feeling Hunson— if it was really the actual Hunson— was hidden that way. Unfortunately, Hunson had the same idea, and was concentrating on making that half of the building collapse.

Feet planted, jaw clenched, Flame King rocketed his shield outward, shockwaves pulsing around him. Hunson darted upward, hovering in the air. His body started trembling and Flame King realized too late that he was making a clone.

The clone flew one way, Hunson the other. Flame King muttered a curse, summoning a veritable wall of fiery daggers. The clone aimed low. Hunson aimed high. Flame King's flimsy shield shattered on impact, the clone ramming his gut with crackling fists. Fire daggers flew in a frenzy, slicing Flame King even as they struck his enemies.

Peppermint let out a cry and he caught the instant Hunson slammed his head against the wall, then sent out a flare of energy that rocked the building and broke the staircase apart. Hunson flew backward, watching the butler get buried beneath falling debris.

Somewhere deep, somewhere painful, a yell bubbled inside and burned Flame King's throat as it burst. He grabbed the clone's head, twisted his arms, and— _crack._

Hunson threw up a hasty shield at the daggers of flames headed his way and started trembling again to make another clone.

Flame King reared back an arm, fingers licked by ethereal flame, and punched clean through the defences. Hunson slammed into a broken railing, shoulder punctured, and let out a cry, wincing through the pain.

He grabbed his shoulders and shoved. Hunson screamed, the rail pushing further inside. Flame King growled; eyes narrow with rage. A gust of scorching wind lashed Hunson's skin and whipped around his head.

"_Help._"

Peppermint's cry was faint.

Flame King socked Hunson in the nose before he left him hanging there listlessly. Hurriedly, he went to lift the butler out of the wreckage.

Peppermint cringed, holding one shoulder, and Flame King adjusted his grip, remembering his broken arm. "Sorry."

"No." Peppermint's voice broke. He coughed and tried again, though it still came out scratchy. "Thank you. I'm—Princess Bubblegum's butler."

"Ah. That's why you look familiar."

He gestured to the collapsed staircase with a nod of his head. The little alcove with the coffin had been mostly untouched. "Flint is in the double coffin. It was the best defence we could think of."

"The what?"

"Double coffin. It's made of demonic and human material so—"

"Finn has to save him." Flame King shook his head once, upper lip curling as he snarled. "What the hell is he thinking?" He glared down at Peppermint. "What the hell are you thinking? Once they know he's in there, they'll burn it. Throw it in the ocean. Any number of things! That's not defence, that's a death sentence. A coward's way out!"

Peppermint scowled. "How does that make him a coward? He put his trust in us, in Finn, to set this mess right. If he'd been fighting, he'd be dead already. All those clones would have been on him and him alone."

"That would be an honourable way to die."

"He's the brains of this operation," he snapped. "We've been getting the majority of our information from him. We need him alive. The rest of us are the expendable ones."

"And if you're all dead, who will tell Finn that _my_ son's in the coffin?"

Peppermint narrowed his eyes. "Do I look dead to you?"

"Well, I don't see Finn around, now do I?"

"Auriel can open it too, I assume. It is her coffin."

Flame King barked a laugh. "Right. Like that manipulative crackpot will help you."

"She's helped so far."

"Sure." He set him down by the coffin, careful not to agitate the butler's wounds. He'd taken some hits from his fire and looked a bloody mess, but it was the arm worrying him more. "Can my son hear us?" he asked, resting a hand on the coffin's surface.

Two successive knocks came from the inside.

Peppermint grinned. "Guess so. He has an oxygen tank, so don't look so worried."

"How could I not?" Flame King muttered.

Flame King focused on the grouping of monitors in the room. Most had been broken, but one remained functional and the face he saw there was the one he'd been hoping to see.

"Flame King?"

He looked over his shoulder. Peppermint was staring at him quizzically.

"Something wrong?"

"No." His eyes drifted to the monitor again. "I just remembered." He smirked. "I have business to take care of."

* * *

"Where are my Fire Giants?" Simon growled, jaw tight with anger.

Hovering in the air, the boy demon put his arms behind his head and crossed his legs. "**I'm not exactly sure. I didn't think beyond **_**Ooo**_** when making portals so they could be anywhere.**"

Simon sucked in a harsh breath, arms trembling. He hadn't realized…

A smile lit the boy's face. "**Are you angry**?"

"_Furious_."

Mephisto laughed.

Simon glared daggers. "Take off that guise, wretch."

"**But it's so fun toying with you. Besides**." He pointed at something in front of him. When Simon didn't turn to look, he groaned and rolled his eyes. "**Look, you idiot. Jake is there. Doing nothing. If Finn were here, he'd be defending him. But look. Nothing.**" He smirked. "**They've known from the start. You were the only fool here.**"

He re-crossed his arms and settled back, staring Simon down from above. "**Pity you didn't kill those two in the storm. I was hoping to not have to sully my hands**."

"…What?"

The boy arched a brow. "**Do I need to repeat myself**?"

Simon launched his body forward, icy fist poised for attack.

Mephisto took the blow, his head whipping back on impact. Then he laughed. Louder and louder, until he was doubled over from the force of it. He lifted red eyes to Simon and the slim body he possessed vanished in place of his own. "**Satisfied**?" he hissed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Simon grabbed him by the collar. "Not even close."

* * *

Jake watched the battle unfold. With the Hunson clones gone, Peppermint attending to Bonnie and Marceline, he'd taken up position on the Candy Castle roof and kept an eye out for the next attack.

Mephisto hadn't made a clone— that he'd seen— and he wondered what to make of that, whether it was good or bad news. Either way, he'd preoccupied himself with dodging Simon's advances, though he hardly made any of his own. Wearing the beast down, even Jake could see that. Jake suspected Simon knew as well and was driven by instinctive rage as opposed to any modicum of self-preservation.

Jake didn't like watching it. But he'd hurt Bonnie and Marceline and he couldn't forgive that either. So Jake let it continue and waited for whatever was to come.

When it did, he realized he hadn't been ready at all.

* * *

The wail was sudden and powerful, a deafening gust that blew Simon backward and made his skull throb. Squinting through residual waves of sound, Simon saw Mephisto approach the shield's boundary. Something dark moved toward him, a group of bodies flying in unison. And a second Mephisto. Suddenly, the shield was opening up and the crowd surged in with whooping cries and cackles. A main demon led the pack at the Mephisto clone's side, and the group behind him fanned out with madness in their eyes.

Jake whipped past him; eyes alit.

The two Mephistos met Simon's gaze, wearing matching smirks.

He shivered.

He would not live past this day.

Braced, he threw up a shield to meet their approach, but one swerved past and the other was tackled mid-air by a body he didn't know. He spun, watching the Mephisto who'd passed and saw him enter the Candy Castle building.

Jake was surrounded. Outnumbered.

It was not his fight.

The stranger and Mephisto crashed into a building. Flames immediately spouted from the windows.

That could be the clone. He couldn't be sure.

His chest grew heavy.

He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to do at all.

* * *

Peppermint was picking shards of ice from Bonnie's arm when the newcomer arrived. He'd hardly had the time to gasp before the floor around them was set ablaze.

"**Good day, milady's**," Mephisto said, hovering above them, cast in shades of black from the fire steadily encroaching. "**And goodbye**."

"You monster!" Marceline shouted; fist raised.

Mephisto chuckled, opened his mouth to speak and—

The fire turned and sucked into a stranger's hand, like a vacuum.

His eyes widened.

Marceline gasped.

Mephisto turned slowly, lip curling in a sneer. "**Ever the hero, aren't you**?" he growled and lifted his gaze to piercing sapphire eyes.

"Finn."

* * *

He hadn't known what to expect when stepping through the Gate. His best friends nearly being burnt alive hadn't crossed his mind and it _pissed. Him. Off._

Mephisto's gaze shifted to something over his shoulder.

"**Oh, good**," Mephisto said. "**Your enemy has arrived**."

Finn turned his head to see Simon, battered and battle-worn and eyes out for blood.

Simon watched him levelly for a moment before facing Mephisto. "You're my enemy too," he hissed and sprang into offense. They exited the building, locked in combat, and Finn stared blankly after them, wondering why he'd been left undeterred.

He glanced over Hunson hanging from a broken rail and looked down at the wide-eyed, slack-jawed faces watching him with cautious hope. He lifted a hand to melt a way out of the ring of ice. When it cleared, he saw Marceline— bloody, limp, pale— and his lungs shrivelled.

He reached for her, cradled her body in his arms, wrapped multiple rings of fire around her. But his head spun around, eyes wide and tears streaming. "_You_." He whispered and… vanished.

The ones watching had no time to react. Once Finn was gone, other demons appeared on a frenzy of destruction. Peppermint and Bonnie leapt to action, protecting Marceline.

Hunson stirred.

But they were too busy to notice.

* * *

It was cold.

Painfully cold.

And dark. A black nothingness.

From the black nothingness, voices came. Muffled. Watery. And familiar.

From the cold came heat. Scalding heat.

Phoebe groaned, light flickering behind closed eyes. Then it cooled and froze, and all was cold again.

This new cold enveloped her torso and held tight as winds gusted around her. She reached for the cold, ignoring the way her skin stung with the contact.

Then it too was gone.

In its place was softness, different from the softness before the blackness came. This was static comfort. Flat. Not embracing and moving with her.

She heard breathing— heavy breathing— and something soft and faint and so, so _pained_.

The sound of her name.

The sound of her name being whispered, forced, from a voice that would rather have been silent.

She opened her eyes.

And there he was.

Crouched, hands and knees on the floor, fingers curling, then uncurling over a plush carpet she didn't recognize, in a room with one wall blown clear off but otherwise intact.

There he was.

Gold hair, mussed and bloody, curtaining his eyes from view. Breathing strained and shaky, with a tremor in his shoulders, a subtle shaking back and forth.

And she knew.

Her throat tightened, closing up. Her lips parted, then trembled. She inhaled a lengthy, staggering breath. Felt pain behind her eyes and squeezed them shut. Lowered her chin to her shoulder and curled her fingers into the carpet.

She couldn't. She wouldn't.

His eyes lifted. She felt them graze her legs, her waist, linger on her collarbone, her lips. She opened hers just as his gaze reached them. Felt her heart stutter. Felt his name on her tongue. Pressed a hand over her heart, felt her face crumple, and—

His brows scrunched together. He lifted a hand, hesitated, then mustered his courage and rested it over her ankle. "…Don't cry…"

She bit her lip.

Overwhelmed by her silence, by her pain, his own eyes misted with tears. "Phoebe."

The sound of her name brought back the reality of the situation. "We have to go back," she said. Her voice came out far stronger and steadier than she felt.

But he recoiled, a whiplash movement, and she gasped— the momentary strength gone, the wounded look in her eyes unable to be masked.

"Why should I?" he snarled, eyes narrow. "Why should I go back to people who'll attack and use me?" He snatched up her hands, leaned over her splayed legs, and looked up into her face with eyes wide and bright, mouth twitching in and out of a gentle smile. "Let's get away from here. Together. We'll never see any of them again, I promise."

"Finn…"

"Come along with me, Phoebe."

"They need you."

"I don't care. I need _you_."

Phoebe heaved a sigh. Finn's grip tightened at the sound, so she forced a smile to her face and tugged her hands free. He watched carefully as she brought them to the sides of his face and held him still. Blood from cuts on her hands smearing across his cheeks, stark lava against the whiteness.

"This isn't you," she whispered fiercely. "You protect the people you care about. They're counting on you. You have to go back."

His eyes flickered. Gently, he pulled her hands away, staring at the floor, away from her. She tried to catch his gaze but, when she did, she wished she hadn't. His eyes burned red as the blood on his cheeks.

"You want to get rid of me," he hissed.

"No—"

"You want me gone," he continued. "You want to leave my side. After all I've done! It still doesn't matter!"

"Finn!"

"Forever a demon. Forever an enemy. I thought you were _different_." He grabbed her shoulders. She couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips. His own twisted in a sneer. "Always afraid. Always pretending. _How could you?_" he shouted. "How could you say that to me? How could you do that to me?"

"Finn—"

"You don't love me? You don't trust me? After all your talk of forgiveness, you still fear me. What have I ever done except help you? What have I ever done except _save_ you? What have I ever done except l—" He cut off, eyes widening, abruptly shifting back to blue. He released her, fisted quivering hands in his lap, and stared at the floor, away from her again, the look on his face one of horror.

So she waited.

Waited as he trembled. Waited as he pounded his head with his fists— _What have I done?_ Waited as the first tear fell, wrenched a sob from his throat— _What have I done?_— and black hair suddenly spun with gold.

And it was clear. So starkly clear, it made his throat ache. _What have I done? What have I done?_

And she waited.

Waited as he screamed. As he shrieked. As he roared and slammed his fists onto the floor.

She waited as he turned his head back towards her. As blue, blue eyes spilled water on her hands. As he worked his mouth to say something, anything. Any of the words bouncing back and forth in his skull and causing him such agony.

She waited as he touched her forearms, the barest hint of a caress. Waited as he stared, at her, through her, into her.

As he snaked his arms around her body and suddenly, violently, pulled her close.

He buried his head in the crook of her neck. Shook in her arms. Inhaled a ragged breath.

And cried and cried and cried.

_What have I done?_

_What have I done?_

And she waited.

She rubbed circles across his spine. Caressed his hair. Rocked side to side, side to side.

Tears dropped into his hair. Her own tears, unbidden, but she wouldn't let go of him to wipe them away. If she let go, he would disappear. Disappear to some unknown place she couldn't reach, some place where he would lock his heart and let it never be seen.

So she waited.

Eventually, the sobs grew quiet. The shaking stilled. Eventually, he lifted his head, blinking red-rimmed eyes that were still blue as blue as blue.

He caressed her cheek. She closed her eyes and turned her head into his palm. Her skin wasn't burning his.

He drew in a trembling breath. His other hand cupped her face. He rubbed the corners of her eyes, smearing the tears gathered there.

She looked at him, through him, into him.

And he felt whole.

He felt real.

And he knew.

"I love you."

Her heart throbbed.

He pressed in closer and she followed him unwittingly.

"I love you," he whispered again.

Her lungs felt close to bursting.

And he waited. Breathing short, heaving breaths. Fingers quivering even as they held her. Lips parted and warm. So warm she felt them radiating with it.

Unsteady even on firm ground, she clutched his arms. Half-lidded eyes stared back at her.

"I love you," he murmured, the words brushing her lips, pressing in closer. Closer.

And something snapped. An audible burst. And she fell into him, onto him, and breathed his air like she was suffocating.

He caught her. With his arms. With his lips. With his heart.

And he was warm. Warm as warm as warm.

She clung to him.

He lifted her to her knees, pressed a hand to her back, the other to her head, and there was warmth and heat and something raw and desperate but so, so sweet.

"I love you," he gasped.

Then kissed her.

"I love you," he rasped.

Then kissed her.

"I love you," he swore.

And she breathed him in as he touched her lips once more.

His touch was gentle, trailing fire across her skin, tingling her nerves, making her gasp, making her ache.

"Phoebe." His voice was ragged. Raw. Real. "I love you. So much. So much that it hurts."

Tears sprang from her eyes. He wiped them with his thumbs, but they kept pouring. He kissed each one, kissed their flaming tracks away, and waited.

Waited as she breathed in and out, in and out, to compose herself. He kissed stray tears as he waited. She let out a feeble laugh and felt his blood burn and evaporate from her lips. He kissed her finger, watched as she flushed, and waited— breathing in and out, in and out— for her to speak.

"…We have to go back."

Surprise coloured his face for only a moment, a slight furrow of his brow, a small frown turning his lips. Then he smiled. A sad, reluctant smile that made her frown guiltily. "I know," he said and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. His gaze searched hers. "I love you, Phoebe."

She pursed her lips. "I know."

He took her left hand in both of his and pressed a kiss to her ring finger.

Her breath hitched. She bit her lip, averting her eyes from his. Her chest was a chaos of aches and tightness and fluttering heartbeats even before he spoke the words.

"Will you fall in love with me?"

She thought her heart would burst. "I… think so," she muttered, grudgingly. She cast a quick glance at him, feeling the quickening beat of his pulse against her skin.

And he was grinning wide. He flew into her arms, successfully swept her off her feet, and kissed her soundly. She looked positively frazzled— hair askew, cheeks pink, eyes wide— and he looked positively impish with the realization.

Then he took her hand, laced their fingers together, and urged her forward. "Let's go. Tell me what's happened. Tell me what the plan is."

Terror struck her, a new pressure in her chest. She snatched him back from the ledge and knew the look on her face frightened him by the way his eyes flitted across it. "Simon. Simon's going to attack you."

The look in his eyes faded and he heaved a sigh. "I know." He looked out, facing the shield that hummed before them. "It's no less than I deserve," he murmured.

She squeezed his hand.

"I take it you know what I've done?"

"What you do now is what matters."

Another sad smile crossed his face. "Will you wait for me?"

Her heart ached. She couldn't imagine how he bore it, this agony. She didn't want this pain. So she faked a playful expression. "Maybe."

Rapidly, he blinked, both wounded and confused.

She let out a breathy laugh. "If I have nothing better to do," she added.

He pouted. Then grinned. Then laughed along with her.

She pretended not to notice when his laughter turned to tears. Pretended to look elsewhere when he wiped his face.

Her heart kept stuttering.

She nudged his side with her elbow. "Let's go."

"Right."

Phoebe in tow, her eyes growing wide, he jumped from the ledge. Still gold haired. Still blue-eyed. And still a slave to gravity.

"_Demon! _Change into a demon_!"_ she shrieked, plummeting down in his arms.

Laughter echoed in the air around her. He yanked her close and crushed his lips to hers, swallowing her screams.

Their fall slowed. His warmth faded. And suddenly, they were vaulting upwards, her clutching his shoulders, him hugging her close and smiling against her ear. His powerful wings slicing through the air as they soared.

Desperately, she tried to ignore his tremors.

Desperately, he tried to ignore the voice screaming in his head.

_You won't see past this day…_

So he held her close, felt her heartbeat in his hollow chest, and desperately pretended they had forever to look forward to.

* * *

.

Longest chapter I've typed! I hope you all like this, it's been soooo much planning to get to this point, and I still have plenty planned for a few more chapters! **Please leave a heart and follow, and write a review,** I appreciate it so much! :-)


	12. Last Encore

**A/N:** Line breaks are still **important** in this chapter! Please use PC to see them and also **leave a heart and follow and a review!**

* * *

Horrified screams pierced the hazy blackness. Bonnie jolted to awareness, arms reaching out, thinking of Marceline— _keep Marceline safe_. But it wasn't an icy storm she faced. She scrambled back from the torrent of flames. Through the fire, Bonnie saw him—Hunson—and the maniacal, twisted grin he wore as he blasted the coffin again, and again, and again.

The screams returned, Peppermint, with his arm in a makeshift sling, struggling to kill the demons with the pistol. And Jake, sprinting forward, only to be shoved back by a barricade of enemies. They were surrounded. All fighting. All desperately screaming Flint's name.

Bonnie searched her pockets, the strap across her back, but her weapons were gone, lost in the storm. There was nothing around her but debris— fallen chunks of wall, boards that were once stairs, and broken railing. They would have to do.

She moved, hiding behind the flames, and let out a shrill whistle.

Hunson lifted his gaze, peering through the fire.

Bonnie hurtled a block straight at his nose. She made a dash for the wreckage— taking advantage of the precious seconds Hunson was stunned from the impact. Searching through the rubble, she found a long, splintered rail and brandished it like a sword.

"Come at me, punk!" she shouted.

Hunson snarled.

He charged forward. Bonnie stared him down, shoulders heaving, waiting, waiting. Last second, she side-stepped, swung hard, and cracked the rail on the back of the demon's head.

Hunson grunted, hands pressed against his aching skull. Bonnie leapt, rail poised, and thrust the splintered edge at the gaping wound by his shoulder. Hunson shrieked, splaying his arm, knocking the rail from Bonnie's hands and throwing her off his feet.

Wide-eyed, something unnamed bubbling in his gut, Hunson watched as the woman slowly brought herself to her feet.

"Not so tough— without that medallion, huh?" Bonnie rasped, a mocking smile on her face as she wiped a line of blood from her chin.

The fire died off without Hunson to keep it alight. His jaw clenched, seeing the coffin intact, with hardly a mark to show for his effort. And now Bubblegum stood in his path. Without a weapon, but glaring like she had an arsenal.

He was tired of this farce. It was time to put this to an end.

He charged again. Bonnie readied herself to dodge, but Hunson fazed straight through her body, grabbed a latch on the bottom of the coffin, and dragged it out of the building.

* * *

Mephisto cackled with glee seeing Simon laid so low— hair shredded, smoking, and looking haggard. Still, the Ice Kingdom's ruler charged, and still Mephisto swerved and deflected and caught him behind the back with whipping stings and blows. Yet as fun as it was to watch a once proud man topple, he was steadily growing bored.

Across the city, his remaining clone was in the throes of battle with one of Hunson's pet projects. The idiot called Flame King was faring far worse than Simon. Didn't do much to alleviate his growing boredom.

He wanted out. He had better things to do.

So when he saw Hunson rocketing high into the air with a coffin in tow, he let out a sigh of relief and turned to Simon with a smile.

"**Game over, friend**." Black flame erupted from his fingertips.

Simon winced, squared his jaw, and hurled his body forward, a guttural scream in his throat.

Mephisto dodged the incoming fist, ducked beneath an icy stream, surged up with victory in his eyes, and grabbed Simon's neck, squeezing hard. "**Goodbye**," he hissed, raising an icy palm to the man's chest.

Simon smirked.

Mephisto frowned.

Glanced down.

Gasped.

Simon, with a touch of a finger, had turned the fist on his neck— to ice. The sound of his sharp inhale filled the static air around them. Simon reared, jaw open wide, Mephisto's frozen fingers snapping, and dug his teeth into the hand.

It tore with a gruesome shatter.

Simon swallowed it whole.

Mephisto's face twisted. His eyes bulged. He tackled Simon, smashed him on the ground, manic with rage, slammed his fist— hit, after hit, after hit, after hit— laden with fire then ice, fire then ice. Simon's hair burned; skin mottled. He kept pounding— again, again, again— screaming in unbridled fury, wailing in the face of his un-doer—

Simon exhaled. Numb. And welcomed the dark.

* * *

Flame King blinked.

He rubbed his eyes once. Twice.

Blinked again.

Then surveyed the battered room.

Mephisto had been right there. About to finish him off. The psycho had trapped him in coils of flaming-energy, torturing him in some sick glee. He'd been screaming his non-existent lungs out for the longest time. And then poof. Nothing. He'd collapsed, opened bleary eyes, and waited for strikes that didn't come.

Was he being fooled?

Highly unlikely considering his adversary. But he couldn't quite move his legs, so it wasn't like he could defend himself.

He let out a sigh that turned into a groan and closed his eyes again.

Hopefully when he woke, all of this would be long gone, and his idiot son would be shaking him to consciousness with some story of how Finn saved the day.

Flame King chuckled.

He could live with that.

* * *

Finn approached the Candy Kingdom just as Bonnie was bolting out the door to follow Hunson. She skidded to a stop, mind racing with all the things she wanted to say. Instead, she pointed at the coffin in the air. "Save Flint!" she shouted, then she opened her arms to catch Phoebe as Finn darted away, ever the hero.

Wasting no time, Bonnie shoved a gun in Phoebe's hands and dragged her back into the building. "Marceline's being attacked. I'll cover you."

"Got it."

"Finn's good? she asked, tugging her across the living room floor.

She blasted a stray demon and nodded. "Yeah. He's— good," Phoebe stammered, trying and failing to ignore the brief flutter in her chest as she remembered what transpired between them.

Oblivious, Bonnie grinned. She knew all she needed to. "Good. Then let's finish this."

She returned the grin and readied the gun for battle. "No problem."

* * *

When Hunson saw Finn, he smiled.

"How nice of you to show up. You're just in time for the final act." He let the coffin drop, revelling in its rapid descent, giddy with the thought of what it meant for them. The mastermind dead. The accomplices soon to follow. And then he would have his place at Mephisto's side, ruling the world as he pleased.

When Finn chased after the coffin, Hunson frowned.

What was the boy doing? He'd agreed with them. He wanted the world to burn. He wanted these people gone.

When Finn caught it, Hunson snarled.

He _knew_ it. The boy was too soft. The boy was too _human_.

"You ignorant _fool_," he hissed. "I'd hoped I was wrong about you."

Finn lifted his head at the words, red eyes flashing ominously, a sneer marring the impassive expression he'd worn since joining them. "Your show's over, Hunson."

Before he could respond, Finn lifted his hand and struck the demon out of the sky like he wasn't even worth his time.

* * *

Flint knew the moment he'd ended up in the wrong hands. As if the screams from before weren't enough of a tell. He tried to ignore the bubbling terror in his chest and the way his heart thundered in the small space, but it was nigh impossible considering there was nothing else to distract him from his thoughts.

I'm going to die here, he thought.

In a coffin.

Dead.

How ironic.

How _stupid._

Perhaps it hadn't been his brightest idea. But there was little else he could do. If he hadn't been inaccessible, he'd be dead. Hell, he might even be the only person alive right now.

But not for long.

It shamed him to know how foolish Hunson was. How utterly self-absorbed.

But then, that was his personality, just magnified to an obsessive degree.

No wonder Finn had issues.

A fire elemental was essentially already half parts demon and also human at the same time, just in a warped way of humanity.

Maybe it _is_ better to be one or the other. Maybe a balance of both is simply impossible. But if that were the case, Auriel wouldn't have bothered meddling.

No. Maybe it was just impossible for _him_ to be both. But Finn, like always, was the exception. Was _special._

Well.

Maybe he could live with that.

If he got out of this alive, then yes— a thousand times, yes— he could definitely live with that.

He was beginning to feel light-headed. He thought he heard a voice, but he couldn't be sure. Was he dead already?

Five dots of light appeared before him. Yes, he thought, I'm most certainly dead. The dots grew and lengthened. Soon they looked like fingers. So he latched onto them, thinking, this is it, the way to the afterlife, I won't let this pass me by.

And then he was lifted. He felt a chill blanket his form, then warmth, and then he was gasping in fresh air and staring at the red eyed, black-haired boy he thought he'd never see again.

Finn didn't say anything, just helped steady him and watched him closely with undue concern.

Flint knew, from the sounds in the air, that things were far from over. And he knew, as soon as he saw Hunson closing in from a distance, what needed to be done to finish this. As he rasped the command in Finn's ear, he saw the boy shiver, fingers twitching. He saw the boy imagining for a moment what would happen if he disobeyed.

But his choice was made in the next second.

Finn nodded. Resolute. Unfeeling. A man.

Flint watched him go with an ache in his chest, wondering if those boyish eyes would ever return and what he could possibly do to atone for his sins.

Live, he thought. Live to spite me, Finn the Human.

* * *

Hunson heard the wail. Saw the earth trembling from its force. And knew all had not gone as Mephisto expected. He'd sent clone after clone after clone with the Gate's hordes of demons, guiding small group of them to all the facilities building weaponry, destroying them one by one before leading the horde here. He'd been confidant his strength would hold. He'd underestimated the strength human emotion offers, having been apart from it for far too long.

Hunson wouldn't make that mistake.

He would make the boy _despair._

So he charged. Not for Finn, who rose to meet him. But for the Candy Castle. For the friends battling inside. For the girl holding the boy's heart.

And he razed that building to the ground.

Finn screamed, and his power blanketed the _world_.

If Mephisto's power was a surging river, Finn's power was now the ocean.

Finn screamed.

The sound of it brought silence.

Hunson felt a shiver run down his back.

Finn flew into his periphery. The boy's hand darted, crushed his arm and wrenched it sideways to plough his other hand through Hunson's gut. Slowly, agonizingly, he felt his essence turned to ice. A slow crawl of numbness. A spot of black in his vision. But Hunson saw the streaks of tears, the shaking snarl, the _despair_, and still managed to grin.

"_Do it!_" Flint bellowed, watching fearfully at the form rising in the air. Mephisto. Watching. Realization then anger dawning on his face. Flint saw him readying a powerful blast of energy, aimed right for Finn's head. He couldn't let that happen. This needed to _end_.

He whistled for Jake, sent him soaring in Mephisto's direction. Jake tackled Mephisto into a portal.

All the while, Hunson slowly froze. A strangled laugh on his lips. A look of terrifying exhilaration, and exhilarated terror in his flickering eyes.

Flint scrambled for a gun. He picked stray demons out of the air, protecting Finn as best he could. It would end. It would—

Mephisto appeared above Finn.

The world stood still.

* * *

.

Short chapter, I'm really sorry! It's been a busy week for me, I will see you all in the next chapter, **heart, follow and review please!**


	13. The Beginning

**A/N:** Line breaks on PC as per usual! Here's to a good one and to my next fanfiction!

**Next fanfiction TBA**

* * *

Finn blinked. Wispy flame licked the air above him. An upward glance showed Mephisto's mottled, rage-twisted face. Before him, Hunson choked on ice, his eyes wide and bulging— the last part of him to freeze.

"Why?" he asked the air.

For a moment, there was nothing to answer him. For a moment, he thought he'd died. Then he turned and Auriel was there— leaning casually against her blade, smiling benignly as if the world around them wasn't in the throes of anarchy, as if she'd been there all along and found no fault with any of it.

"I like to meddle," she answered and tapped a familiar melody, a far-off memory of warmth, a movie, a cabin, and Phoebe.

Finn gritted his teeth, shutting his eyes against the torment.

"I thought you could use some help," Auriel added.

Finn exhaled a slow, shuddering breath, wracked with shivers. "Why now?" he hissed, half a moan. "Why_ now!_" he shouted. "Why not then! Why not—"

Auriel extended her arm. Finn followed the length of it, its direction, and saw it, saw _them_— encased in a field of energy, his brother, Phoebe, Marceline, Bonnie, battled, bloody, _alive._

He inhaled a slow, shuddering breath and swallowed back as many tears as he possibly could. Still, they slipped past his defences. Still, he felt more building. He wanted to say thank you. He wanted Auriel to know he understood. But words eluded him then. Only sobs made themselves known.

Auriel grinned. "Don't make me do it again," she said, her tone gentler and kind. Knowing it would greatly improve their relationship in the future, she placed a hand on Finn's shoulder. She squeezed reassuringly, then let him go. Her eyes narrowed, expression hardening.

"Now end this."

* * *

He didn't understand.

This wasn't right.

The boy had been there.

_Right there._

In front of him. In the reach of his arm. In the way of his blast. In the path of death.

But now he was staring into his own eyes. A long-lost gaze of blazing cerulean. Then it was gone. Rocketing downward with an icy Hunson in tow. Energy built around them, pulsing outward from the boy's form— ethereal, solid, burning cold. Mephisto pushed against it. Trudged through the growing power. He screamed his frustration, but the sound was swallowed.

Finn roared.

The air shook.

Hunson shattered.

Mephisto's book ceased to be.

He looked up at the boy once more as his form started to crumble away, without the slightest trace of the previous anger, and... started to laugh wildly. "**That was one hell of a battle! What now? Where will that anger take you? You are not me, yet you continue to fight**."

* * *

The air cleared.

The world was white.

Scattered and strewn across a layer of snow lay the remnants of Mephisto's army of demons. Flint looked about him in wonder. Snow and ice clung to his limbs, but he felt no chill. One shake of his shoulders and he was free. Yet just to his left, a demon was frozen solid. And ten feet in front of him. And… everywhere.

Something rustled behind him. He whirled and caught the faintest glimpse of Auriel's smile before the enigmatic archangel vanished from sight. In her place rested Jake in his normal form, Simon, Marceline, the Peppermint Butler, Bonnie, Phoebe and—

"Dad," he breathed. He put a hand over his mouth, stifling the laugh that bubbled up in his throat. He'd heard his father's voice in the coffin, but he hadn't seen him since trying to safely thaw him out. It worked. Everything he planned. It _worked_.

He spun around, squinting into the white blindness. But Finn didn't appear.

His euphoria rapidly died. He hurried to Phoebe's side and shook her awake. Blearily, she looked up at him, then gasped at the world she found herself in. "Find him," he ordered, helping her stand. "Finn's out there somewhere."

She hesitated for the briefest moment, eyes flicking to Bonnie, to Marceline, to Jake.

Flint shook his head. "Go _now._ I'll wake the others," he lied.

So she left.

And he waited for her.

* * *

"Finn!" she called, hands around her mouth. "Finn, where are you?" She stumbled over a frozen arm and fell to her hands in the snow. "Finn… Please," she whimpered.

"You told me to wait for you. I can't wait forever, you know. I'm not a demon."

Her forced laugh came out as a strangled cry. She fisted her hands— angry with herself, with him— and pushed onward through the white expanse, shouting his name, searching the bodies.

"Finn—!"

Her foot slipped. She tumbled down into a crevice hidden by the snow, scraped her elbow on cracked stone, and collided with a body at the bottom. Terrified she'd stumbled upon another demon with no energy to her name, she scrambled backward with a scream on her tongue.

Blue eyes blinked up at her.

"Phoebe—" He opened his arms.

She flew into them and held his trembling form tight. "It's okay," she whispered. "I'm here. I'm _finally here_."

Finn lowered his head to her shoulder, clutching her until the shivers ceased, until he was steady, until he was balanced.

Then she hefted him up with one arm round his waist and slowly trekked up out the wreckage of a street he no longer remembered, and away from the crystalline fragments of what used to be a demon.

* * *

They were awake when he arrived, draped across Phoebe's shoulder, powerless to stand on his own. He collapsed to his knees, even with her steadying arm, and stared listlessly at his tattered hands. Phoebe settled behind him, a pillar, a warmth. He leaned against her, swallowing hard, waiting for the gasps to turn to shouts.

"Finn…"

He winced, not as ready as he'd thought.

His brother choked on a sob.

"Finn, buddy," she said again.

He fell before him, clasped his hands in his. Tears splashed onto his skin. Wide-eyed, he stared up at him. Phoebe squeezed his shoulder from behind, a reassuring touch. He choked. Lowered his forehead to their clasped hands.

"Jake…" he forced out. "Bro… I love you."

Jake burst into tears.

Behind him, Bonnie scooted forward on her knees. She wrapped her arm around Finn's shoulders, meeting those eyes— the blue, blue eyes of her friend. Biting her tongue against the tears, Bonnie held Finn's head between both of her hands. For a moment, she could only breathe. Seeing only the boy staring back at him. Broken. In pain. "I'm sorry for what I've done," she rasped.

And Finn shattered. He barrelled into Bonnie's chest, hugging her tightly. "I love you. I love you. I'm so sorry—"

Jake pressed his head against his brother's hair.

And there they stayed.

* * *

As the air finally began to cool. As the frozen demons around them began disappearing without their notice, though Flint knew it was Auriel's doing regardless, there they stayed.

They stayed there until Flint could bear it no longer. He approached the healing friends, met Finn's gaze, collapsed with the rest of them, and joined the hug.

"Don't you dare tell me you love me," he grumbled.

Finn laughed.

Phoebe rolled her eyes.

Flame King grinned and instinctively spoke in French. "Ami!" and caught everyone in one giant hug with Finn at the centre.

Marceline remained with Simon, holding him up so he could see, smiling at the sight unfolding before them. As they dispersed from their hug, Finn saw him lying there and his mild expression fell. The brokenness returned, and with it, a sad acceptance.

Everyone turned to face him, seeing the change when their eyes met. Ruler though he was, heartless he was not. For the briefest of moments, Simon reconsidered. Yes, there were things he was required to do. But there were also thing he _wanted_ to do.

As though sensing his thoughts, Finn narrowed his eyes and gave one finite shake of his head.

Simon sighed. He would have chosen it regardless. But, knowing the recipient of his choice was willing, made it an easier task to complete.

"You have to come with me," he announced, for the benefit of the others who were unknown to Citadel's laws.

Danny clenched and unclenched his fingers. His gaze flickered to his family. To Bonnie and Marceline. Lastly, to Phoebe, where it remained. He sucked in a breath, parted his lips to speak—

She cut him off by grabbing his hand. "I'll wait for you. I promise."

Finn's answering smile quivered. He lifted his hands to caress the sides of her face. Softly, slowly, he ran his fingers through her hair, then lowered his lips to her forehead, her temple, her cheek, her mouth, where he lingered longest.

Her hand reached for him even as he pulled away.

Four of the crystal guardians from the Citadel descended from the sky and a rift in space stretched. Opening up to the Citadel itself.

Jake gathered Simon in his arms. "Goodbye, friends," he said genially and disappeared into the portal.

Finn paused before the portal, roved his eyes over the assemblage, burning the image in his memory. "Goodbye," he whispered. He sucked in a breath, whirled, then vanished from sight. Before he lost the will. Before he heard their cries. Before he saw their brokenness. Before his heart rent in two.

It was over.

Finally.

They could live in peace.

Without him.

It was done.

* * *

"Then why not tell them?"

"It's not that simple."

Jake nodded his agreement. "She's right, Bonnie. He's her Dad, and they just reunited. It's not fair… to be separated so soon."

The words struck a disjointed chord.

Bonnie bit her lip.

Phoebe winced. When put like that, she felt guilty for even hesitating. For taking advantage of what Finn couldn't.

"Stop this," she snapped, speaking to them and herself. "Auriel's right. He's alive. And he's doing the right thing. We all know what he did, even if we want to forget it. He's getting what he deserves."

"Phoebe," Bonnie began, affronted, looking at her again like she'd betray him.

"No, she's right," Jake countered, narrowing his eyes. "Finn did unspeakable things. And he _wanted_ to atone."

"But she doesn't have to say it like that," Bonnie said coldly, crossing her arms. "He's still our friend. And your brother. I mean, come on, Phoebe. Don't you care about him?"

Phoebe clenched her jaw, her pulse quickening. "Are you trying to say that I don't?"

"You don't sound like you do," Jake insisted, glaring at her.

"Guys, stop—"

Phoebe lifted a hand, cutting Bonnie off. "No. He's angry with me. I want to know why."

Snorting, Jake rolled his eyes and shifted his gaze to the ceiling. "I'm not angry."

A single bitingly sharp laugh escaped her. "That's why you can't look at me and say that, right?"

He glowered.

She smirked.

And finally, he burst, slamming his fist on the wall, rattling picture frames of seaside landscapes. "Yes, I'm angry!" he yelled. "If anyone could've kept him here, it was you! You could've told him not to go. You could've begged Simon to forgive him. You could've done _something!_"

Heat rose from her trembling fists to her gaze. Her lips twisted in a snarl. "It was out of my hands—"

"You didn't even try!" he snapped, words whipping the air, striking her lungs, making her legs weak.

She ground her teeth, shutting her eyes against the image— against the Finn in her head looking at her with those sad, sad eyes. "You know the things he's done," she said quietly. "You know the people he's hurt. The people he's hurt." Her head snapped up and she glared daggers into his self-righteous, selfish fury. "So how can you sit there and get mad at me for letting him accept his punishment! He wanted to! You know he did!"

He blinked.

The image of Finn faded from Phoebe's mind.

Jake's expression crumbled. The bravado weakened. Only the confusion remained. The one who knew he'd just lost his brother.

"But you still could've tried," he muttered, voice cracking, averting his gaze again to stare down at the floor, hunched over like he'd crawl into himself forever.

Bonnie wrung her hands. And walked into the kitchen.

Phoebe watched Jake, waiting for him to spare her a glance, waiting for him to acknowledge her again, to acknowledge that there were other perspectives besides his own. That were other pains besides his own. Even besides _her_ own. "Do you think he would have liked to hear me ask?" she mumbled, reaching for his hand, holding it tenderly in hers.

"Do you think he would have been happy knowing I wanted him to stay with—" She choked on the last word, the _me_, and shook her head furiously at her own inability to be honest. "Do you think he would have been happy living here with us, knowing he left Simon to rebuild that ruin on his own?" she continued. "Do you think he would have liked knowing he did _nothing_ to make up for the trouble he caused?" Her breath hitched, something caught in her throat, and she blinked rapidly, trying to force it back down. "I didn't ask him to stay because I knew he didn't want me to," she forced out, though the words came breathy and broken. "I didn't ask him to stay because I knew he'd be miserable if I did. I didn't ask him to stay because I… I didn't want to break his heart."

Jake spared a glance, jaw clenched, lips taut in a thin, straight line. Wounded. Lonely. A reflection. He squeezed her hand. Hard. "Sorry," he whispered. He caressed the side of her face with his thumb, brushing aside a tear she hadn't known escaped, blowing on his paw when it burnt.

She looked into his eyes, but it wasn't his she was seeing. They were blue as blue, with a flicker of red.

Lightning jolted up her spine. Gasping, terrified, she retreated from him. Heart pounding, she bolted up the stairs, slammed her door, and braced against it, pressing a hand to her chest, to her heart, struggling to calm her heaving breaths, struggling to keep her feelings locked down and frozen, frozen, _frozen_ like the frost of Finn's calm.

She hadn't cried when the rest broke down after Finn left. She hadn't cried when Bonnie and Peppermint walked through the ruins of their home, snagging pictures and a single T-shirt from her room.

She cried now.

* * *

When no one was there to see her. When no one was there to wonder what her story with Finn was. When no one was there to wonder how much she cared, how much she lost, how much she missed, when she knew she cared and missed too much and lost that much more.

When she knew…

She was in love.

* * *

When she said goodbye to Jake, there were misty eyes. Jake was moving to stay with his wife, further away from the treehouse and the Fire Kingdom. "We'll talk every day, okay?" he promised. "Even if it's just to say hi." Except it was usually him sending selfies from BMO. As if she wanted to see his face all the time.

When she said goodbye to Bonnie and Marceline, there were far too many tears.

"Thank you," Bonnie had said.

"For what?" she'd asked.

"Taking care of him."

"Waiting for him," Marceline had added.

"Loving him," Bonnie said and squeezed her hand as the tears started falling.

Phoebe had found herself in the centre of one of their hugs. Then they'd left on Bonnie's Morrow. Headed for the Candy Kingdom to help Peppermint re-build the Candy Kingdom.

And Phoebe was alone.

* * *

Five years had passed.

Autumn had always been a marginally acceptable season, as the precursor to winter. Winter being, of course, the best. With the autumnal equinox came change. A chill in the hot breezes of summer's end. A splattering of warmth in the crystalline greens and blues. A flurried rustle in the air as birds migrated to their homes away from home.

Autumn had always been acceptable. It meant winter was nigh. It meant joy was forthcoming.

Autumn was okay, really.

Just… not this year.

With the chill came hope. The loss of greens and blue brought sadness. The rustling made her jump.

Autumn was no longer acceptable. Autumn made her dare to hope, then dashed her on the ground in the bitter, empty cold to laugh at her melancholy. _Look how low you've fallen. Are you really The Flame Princess?_

Jake had left her a dozen texts, none of which she bothered to read, planted face first on her pillow in the darkness of her triple-curtained room. Bonnie had called twice. Marceline, five times. Even Flint and Peppermint tried and failed to reach her.

In her defines, she did tell them she'd be busy this week. Flame elections were over. Nothing important was due. So, she'd given herself the week off. Just one week to mope, and then she'd jump right back into the swing of things.

A week. It was all she needed to get her thoughts straight. Autumn brought memories of him close. She gasped with every cold touch on her skin. Spun at the slightest rustle. Glared at leaves who turned from green to red.

A week. That was it. Then she'd be herself again.

* * *

"Phoebe…"

She cringed.

She'd dreamed this dream too many times before. The voice. The warmth. The touch. The shivers. She didn't want this anymore. So she kept her eyes shut.

He lowered his face to her cheek, his breath fanning around her, making her tremble, making her gasp and squirm. He inhaled the scent of her, his voice a desperate, sad moan as he repeated her name. His hands clasped hers, soaking up her warmth. "Look at me," he whispered.

Jaw clenched; she shook her head. She refused to give in to this dream. She refused to face the empty cold alone when it was gone.

He cupped her face gently in his palm, pushing his fingers through her silky fiery hair, admiring her skin, her eyes, her nose, her parted lips, her chin, and the furrow of her brows that spelled her frustration. She looked the same. She looked perfect. He wanted— no. More than wanting and craving, he _needed_ her. She was everything he couldn't be. Everything he _wanted_ to be. But she was also everything he didn't deserve.

Their panting breaths mingled as one. He brushed his lips against hers, testing, asking. When she whipped her head aside, he backed away. When she whimpered, he drew in close again. "Phoebe," he whispered. "Can I…?"

She growled.

He released her.

She curled up on her side, pressing her fists to her forehead. "Stop it," she hissed. "Stop torturing me."

So he left the way he came, vanishing into the night, wondering when the change had been wrought.

* * *

Phoebe woke to two hundred missed calls.

"What the lumps is going on? Why is everybody—"

"He's back!"

Phoebe jolted. Dropped the phone. She dove off the bed, fumbling in snagging covers, to snatch it up again.

Jake was rambling, oblivious, on the other end.

"Where? Why didn't he—"

"He was at your castle, I told you this already. Why'd you kick him out? I told him that wasn't like you—"

"_Where is he?_"

"I already told you. He just left. Maybe to visit Flint? He's the only one he didn't visit this morning—"

Light blinded her.

Phoebe dropped the phone. Again. Her heart throbbed, an ache in her chest. An ache that filled her throat, rose to her skull, and took root behind her eyes.

He looked back at her, standing in front of the window, one hand clutching the curtain he'd just pulled. He kept his head lowered, watching her steadily, nervously, body taut, ready to bolt. His breaths came slow and deep and shook his whole form.

He was the slightest bit taller, with broader shoulders and more muscle tone. Gold hair still hung in a dishevelled heap over his eyes— eyes that were blue as blue as blue— and he ran his fingers through it, only serving to make it more dishevelled, more boyish, more—

"Finn." Her voice came out in a whisper. Incredulous. Reverent.

He smiled a gentle, lopsided smile, releasing the curtain and taking the smallest forward step. "I…" he croaked, blushed furiously, then tried again. "I missed you."

She let out a trembling exhale, fingers digging into the carpet beneath her, nails scraping the hard base of it. Solid. Grounding. She still felt like she was floating. Her eyes wide, mouth agape, she could only watch in fearful anticipation as he drew nearer. As he came close enough for her to _feel_ his warmth. Still, she clawed the carpet. Afraid he'd vanish. Afraid he'd cease to be a memory. Afraid of this new change, when she'd barely grown accustomed to the first.

Soundlessly, he knelt in front of her, hands in white-knuckled fists at his thighs, quivering with the need to touch her, to assure her, to assure himself. He tilted his head, meeting her gaze, his expression soft, his expression pained, his expression so full of love it _ached._

"Can I…?" He lifted a quivering hand, ghosting his fingers under her jaw, across her lips, over her cheek.

She turned into his palm, breathing him in. She gripped his hand tight, caught his shirt in the other, and bit her tongue against the blasted tears— always tears with this one. He wiped them away with his thumb.

"I waited for you," she mumbled into his palm. "I waited _so_ long for you."

"I know," he murmured, caressing her cheek. "Thank you."

It wasn't enough, she realized. A layer of pain stayed in his gaze. His eyes still flickered when she looked at him. She knew he belonged to her. But he wasn't sure if she belonged to him.

Slowly, slowly, she turned her head to kiss his palm. His fingers twitched against her. She rested her hand over his cheek, caressed his face the way he did hers, and gently, gently, brought her mouth to his ear.

"I love you," she whispered, and his breath hitched, and his body trembled, and he clutched her like he'd drown. "I love you," she whispered again, looking into his eyes, blue and shimmering and lost. "I love you."

She leaned in, pressed her lips to his.

Stunned. Awestruck. Half in disbelief. He didn't respond. He sat frozen beneath her touch, heart fluttering in its cage, a tremor in his limbs.

With a chuckle that rattled him to his core, she kissed him, giving her warmth, coaxing him to move with her, to be led. Her fingers drifted through his hair, down the back of his neck and over his shoulders, making him gasp, making him _feel_. His heart burst free, leapt to his throat, to the back of his eyes. He clasped his hands at the small of her back and pulled her into him, firmly slanting his mouth over hers, following her lead, giving his warmth, tasting her, feeling her, loving her.

They melded together, moving as one. Their hands gliding across skin, memorizing dips and angles and places that made the other weak. His tongue darted between her lips. She ravished his mouth with hers. He littered her collarbone with kisses. She left marks with her nails on his back. He nipped. She bit. He groaned. She laughed.

The heat grew unbearable.

He forced control on passion, momentarily retreating, leaning his forehead against hers, staring deep into her eyes— hazel, sparkling, missed, sorely missed. "I need you," he rasped, breath ragged and heavy. "All this time, I felt like I was missing something. It was you. Always you."

She laughed under her breath, fiddling with the ends of his hair, unaware of the way it brightened her face, of the way her joy shined with an ethereal light on a poor, lowly sinner. "That's not corny at all," she muttered, though her cheeks were flushed.

He laughed with her, tucking her hair behind her ears and letting it run through his fingers. "It's longer," he said, his voice soft and full of wonder. She blushed harder, biting her lip, and he smiled. "I like it."

Her smile turned coy. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly, nearly toppling him over on his back.

"Good," she said. "Cause I like it too."

He smiled against her mouth and let her take all control.

* * *

As they lay wrapped in each other's arms, he unravelled the mystery for her.

He'd been captive out of time while the Ice Kingdom rebuilt their prison in the deepest, most hidden trenches of their land. It was a blessing, he said, since it gave everyone time to rebuild and reassess without his presence at the back of their minds. Then, he was sent to their prison, where he was under orders to meditate under the watchful eyes of Simon and also the Cosmic Owl. Meditation, he said, helped him regain the balance of his human and demon halves. Once complete, he was put on trial at Simon's behest and found, unequivocally, guilty.

Rather than giving him the penalty of solitude, they put him to work rebuilding their land. The Ice Kingdom, he said, are far too forgiving. When the realm had been completely restored, he was sent to Auriel for further punishment. But Auriel just had him assist with matters around Ooo that would interfere with her envisioned future.

All of them are too forgiving, he said, giving her a look that revealed she was included with all of them.

"What I don't understand is why they would keep us from hearing anything about you," she grumbled, still put out that Auriel had been involved in Finn's punishment but never once mentioned it.

Finn shrugged, moving her with him since she was laying on his torso. "You needed to move on. Learn to live without me. To be honest, I…" He swallowed thickly, momentarily tightening his grip on her shoulder. "I never thought I'd see you guys again."

Absently, she nodded. She'd thought the same thing. Even hearing his heartbeat against her ear seemed too good to be true, like she'd wake up tomorrow and end up alone again.

"They told me about your parents," he mentioned. "And that you're fully in power now. Ever figure out what you want to do?"

"Demon hunting," she quipped. "Gates haven't all closed, you know."

He looked at her sourly.

"Everyone tells me I'd make a great queen."

He rolled his eyes.

She lifted herself up, bracing on her arms to look down at him, her hair falling around his face. "I haven't decided yet," she answered. "It's been… a little crazy. I've helped Flint and Bonnie at the kingdoms with a few things. Sometimes Dad asks for help on projects. I haven't had much time to think." She sighed, rolling back onto her side. "I didn't _give_ myself much time to think," she amended truthfully.

He sat up, leaning close to rest his hand on her cheek. "Whatever you decide to do, you'll be great at it."

Her eyes flicked to him, the light from the window, then back again. Deliberating. Debating. "And…" she began softly, "If I wanted you with me?"

His arm tensed, the slightest twinge. His eyes wide, brows high, lips parted.

"Would you stay?" she asked, hesitation gone, observing him closely, waiting for the smallest sign.

His eyes flashed red.

She grinned.

* * *

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And that's a wrap! I hope you've all enjoyed this journey with me... Please look forward to my next work, which should be either another Adventure Time or Overlord fanfiction! Just keep checking in on my profile and I'll see you around!

See you all in the next fanfiction!

**THERE MIGHT BE A GAG REEL CHAPTER UPCOMING! KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED.**


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